Skliloiwia 

Presented  by 
Date  received 


"-^fl*.  v*^    ( 

iiliwg ' 


EXTRACT 

From  an  Act  preicribing  Rule*  for  the  Government  of  the  Si,,t, 
patted  March  Sth,  1861. 


BMTIOI  11.  The  Librarian  shall  cause  to  be  kept  a  renter  of  all 
books  issued  and  returned  ;  and  all  books  taken  by  the  members  of  the 
Legislature,  or  its  officers,  .shall  be  returned  at  the  close  of  the  MMbff. 
If  any  person  injure  or  fail  to  return  any  book  taken  from  the  Library. 
he  shall  forfeit  and  pay  to  the  Librarian,  for  the  benefit  of  the  Library] 
three  times  the  value  thereof;  and  before  the  Controller  shah  issue  h 
warrant  in  favor  o*  any  member  or  officer  of  the  Legislature,  or  of  this 
i  r  his  per  diem,  allowance,  or  salary,  he  shall  be  s:,.isti,  ,|  ,h,lt 
such  member  or  officer  has  returned  all  books  taken  out  of  the  Library  by 
him,  and  ha.s  settled  all  a, unts  for  injuring  such  books  or  otherwise. 

SEC.  15.  Books  may  be  taken  from  the  Library  by  the  members  of  the 
Legislature  and  its  officers  ,luri,,K  the  session  of  the  sa.no.  an.l  at  any 
OM  Governor  an.l  the  officers  of  the  Executive  Department  of 
tl.i-  ft*  n-l,,,  are  re,,iiirr,l  to  kee],  their  offices  at  the  seat  of  government 
the  Justices  of  the  Supreme  Court,  the  Attorney-General  and  the  Trustee- 
of  tli-  Library. 


/ 


Date 

No. ...: 

from   a 


THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 


California  State  Library 


of  all 
of  the 
ssion. 
)rary, 
ibrary, 
lie  tiis 
member  or  officer  of  the  Legislature,  or  of  this 


SECTII 
books  is 
Legislat 
If  any  p 
be  shall 
three  times  | 
warrant 

State,  for  his  per  dicin,  allowance,  or  salary,  he  shall  be  satisfied  that 
such  member  or  officer  has  returned  all  books  taken  out  of  the  Library  by 
him,  and  has  settled  all  accounts  for  injuring  such  books  or  otherwise. 

SEC.  15.  Books  may  be  taken  from  the  Library  by  the  members  of  the 
Legislature  and  its  officers  during  the  session  of  the  same,  and  at  any 
time  by  the  Governor  and  the  officers  of  the  Kxetutive  Department  of 
tliis  Slate  who  are  required  to  keep  their  offices  at  the  seat  of  government, 
the  Justices  of  the  Supreme  Court,  the  Attorney-General  and  thi-  Trustees 
of  the  Library. 


/ 


5  am*     w 


i. 

WHAT    SHE    COULD. 

16mo.    $1.25. 

''  Miss  Warner  loses  nothing  of  her  wonderful  versatility  in  the  mul- 
titude of  her  truly  excellent  productions.  The  extract  from  the  Saviour's 
commendation  that  gives  title  to  the  volume  describes  also  the  character 
of  her  own  labors.  Matilda  Englefield,  the  principal  heroine  of  the  story, 
is  a  thoughtful,  conscientious,  and  yet  perfectly  natural  child,  whose 
conversion  and  attempts  at  usefulness  are  related  with  unusual  delicacy 
of  style,  and  with  the  animation  that  only  springs  from  thorough  sym- 
pathy with  ordinary  human  life,  and  also  with  the  spirit  and  aims  of  the 
Master."—  Christian  Advocate. 

II. 

OPPORTUNITIES. 

A  Sequel  to  "  What  She  Could."    16mo.     $1.26. 
III. 

THE     HOUSE     IN     TOWN. 

A  Sequel  to  "Opportunities."  16mo.  $1.25. 
IV. 

THE    OLD    HELMET. 

12mo.    $2.25. 
V. 

MELBOURNE    HOUSE. 

12mo.    $2.00. 
VI. 

THE    WORD    SERIES. 

1.  WALKS  FROM  EDEN  .............    $1  50 

2.  HOUSE  OF  ISRAEL      ..............      1  50 

8.    TUB  STAB  our  o»  JACOB.    By  Miss  Anna  Warner  ...      1.50 


THE 


HOUSE    IN    TOWN. 

&   Sequel   to    "  Opportunities." 


BY 

THE  AUTHOR  OF 
'THE    WIDE    WIDE    WORLD. 


"  No  man  that  warreth  entangleth  himself  with  tho  affairs  of  this 
life ;  that  he  may  ploase  him  who  hath  choseu  him  to  be  a  soldier."  — 
2  TIM.  ii.  4. 


NEW   YORK: 

ROBERT    CARTER    AND    BROTHERS, 

530  BROADWAY. 
1872. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1871,  by 

ROBERT  CARTER  AND  BROTHERS, 

In  the  Office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress  at  Washington. 


CAMBRIDGE: 
PRESS  OF  JOIIN  WILSON  AND  SON. 


' 

THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

CHAPTER     I. 

"/^~\H  Norton!  Oh  Norton !  do  you  know 
what  has  happened?" 

Matilda  had  left  the  study  and  rushed  out 
into  the  dining-room  to  tell  her  news,  if 
indeed  it  were  news  to  Norton.  She  had 
heard  his  step.  Norton  seemed  in  a  pre- 
occupied state  of  mind. 

"  Yes  !  "  he  said.  "  I  know  that  confounded 
shoemaker  has  left  something  in  the  heel  of 
my  boot  which  is  killing  me." 

Matilda  was  not  like  some  children.  She 
could  wait;  and  she  waited,  while  Norton 
pulled  off  his  boot,  made  examinations  into 
the  interior,  and  went  stoutly  to  work  with 

S325SQ 


6  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

penknife   and  file.    In   the   midst   of    it   he 
looked  up,  and  asked,  — 

"  What  has  happened  to  you,  Pink  ?  " 
"  Then  don't  you  know  yet,  Norton  ?  " 
"  Of  course   not.     I  would  fine   all   shoe- 
makers  who   leave    their   work    in    such    a 
slovenly  state !     If  I  didn't  limp  all  the  way 
from    the    bridge    here,   it  was    because    I 
wouldn't, —  not  because  I  wouldn't  like  to." 
"  Why  not  limp,  if  it  saved  your  foot  ?  " 
inquired  Matilda. 

"  You  would,  Pink,  wouldn't  you?  " 
"  Why,  yes  ;  certainly  I  would." 
"  Well,  you    might,"  said  Norton.     "  But 
did  you  ever  read  the  story  of  the   Spartan 
boy  and  the  fox  ?  " 
«  No." 

"  He  stole  a  fox,"  said  Norton,  working 
away  at  the  inside  of  his  boot,  which  gave 
him  some  trouble. 

"  But  you  haven't  stolen  a  fox." 
"  I  should  think  not,"  said  Norton.     "  The 
boy  carried  the  fox  home  under  his  cloak ; 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  7 

and  it  was  not  a  tame  fox,  Pink,  by  any 
means,  and  did  not  like  being  .carried,  I  sup- 
pose ;  and  it  cut  and  bit  and  tore  at  the  boy 
all  the  while,  under  his  cloak  ;  so  that  by  the 
time  he  got  the  fox  home,  it  had  made  an  end 
of  him." 

«  Why  didn't  he  let  the  fox  go? " 

«  Ah !  why  didn't  he  ?  "  said  Norton.  "  He 
was  a  boy,  and  he  would  have  been 
ashamed." 

"  And  you  would  have  been  ashamed  to 
limp  in  the  street,  Norton  ?  " 

"  For  a  nail  in  my  boot.  What  is  a  man 
good  for,  that  can't  stand  anything  ?  " 

"  I  should  not  have  been  ashamed  at  ah1." 

"  You're  a  girl,"  said  Norton  approvingly. 
"  It  is  a  different  thing.  What  is  your  news, 
Pink?" 

"  But  Norton,  I  don't  see  why  it  is  a  dif- 
ferent thing.  Why  should  not  a  woman  be 
as  brave  as  a  man,  and  as  strong,  —  in  one 
way  ?  " 

"  I  suppose,  because  she  is  not  as  strong  in 


8  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

the  other  way.  She  hasn't  got  it  to  do,  Pink, 
that's  all.  But  a  man,  or  a  boy,  that  can't 
bear  anything  without  limping,  is  a  muff; 
that's  the  whole  of  it." 

"  A  muff's  a  nice  thing,"  said  Matilda 
laughing. 

"  Not  if  it's  a  boy,"  said  Norton.  "  Go  on 
with  your  news,  Pink.  What  is  it  ?  " 

"  I  wonder  if  you  know.  Oh  Norton,  do 
you  know  what  your  mother  and  Mr.  Rich- 
mond have  been  talking  about  ?  " 

"  I  wasn't  there,"  said  Norton.  "  If  you 
were,  you  may  tell  me." 

"  I  was  not  there.  But  Mr.  Richmond  has 
been  talking  to  me  about  it.  Norton,"  —  and 
Matilda's  voice  sank,  —  "  do  you  know,  they 
have  been  arranging,  and  your  mother  wishes 
it,  that  I  should  stay  with  her  ?  " 

Matilda  spoke  the  last  words  very  softly,  in 
the  manner  of  one  who  makes  a  communica- 
tion of  somewhat  awful  character ;  and  in 
truth  it  had  a  kind  of  awe  for  her.  Evidently 
not  for  Norton.  He  had  almost  finished  his 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  9 

boot,  and  he  kept  on  with  his  filing,  as  coolly 
as  if  what  Matilda  said  had  no  particular 
interest  or  novelty.  She  would  have  been 
disappointed,  but  that  she  had  caught  one 
gleam  from  Norton's  eye  which  flashed  like 
an  electric  spark.  She  just  caught  it,  and 
then  Norton  went  on  calmly, — 

"  I  think  that  is  a  very  sensible  arrange- 
ment, Pink.  I  must  say,  it  is  not  the  first 
time  it  has  occurred  to  me." 

"  Then  you  knew  it  before  ?  " 

"  I  did  not  know  they  had  settled  it,"  said 
Norton,  still  coolly. 

"  But  you  knew  it  was  talked  about  ?  O 
Norton  !  why  didn't  you  tell  me  ?  " 

Norton  looked  up,  smiled,  dropped  his 
boot,  and  at  once  took  his  new  little  sister  in 
his  arms  and  clasped  her  right  heartily. 

"  What  for  should  I  tell  you,  Pink  ?  "  he 
said,  kissing  Matilda's  eyes,  where  the  tears  of 
that  incipient  disappointment  had  gathered. 

"  How  could  you  help  telling  me  ?  " 

"  Ah,    that   is    another    thing,"    said    Nor- 


10  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

ton.  "  You  couldn't  have  helped  it,  could 
you  ?  " 

"  But  it  is  true  now,  Norton." 

"  Ay,  it  is  true ;  and  you  belong  to 
mamma  and  me  now,  Pink ;  and  to  nobody 
else  in  the  wide  world.  Isn't  that  jolly  ?  " 

«  And  to  Mr.  Richmond,"  Matilda  added. 

"  Not  a  bit  to  Mr.  Richmond ;  not  a  frac- 
tion," said  Norton.  "  He  may  be  your  guar- 
dian and  your  minister  if  you  like  ;  and  I  like 
him  too ;  he's  a  brick ;  but  you  belong  to  no- 
body in  the  whole  world  but  mamma  and 
me." 

"  Well,  Norton,"  said  Matilda,  with  a  sigh 
of  pleasure  —  "  I'm  glad." 

"  Glad ! "  said  Norton.  "  Now  come,  —  let 
us  sit  right  down  and  see  some  of  the  things 
we'll  do." 

"  Yes.  But  no,  Norton ;  I  must  get  Mr. 
Richmond's  supper.  I  shall  not  have  many 
times  more  to  do  that ;  Miss  Redwood  will  be 
soon  home,  you  know." 

"  And  we  too,  I  hope.     I  declare,  Pink,  I 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  n 

believe  you  like  getting  supper.  Here  goes ! 
What  is  to  do  ?  " 

"  Nothing,  for  you,  Norton." 

"Kettle  on?" 

"  On  ages  ago.  You  may  see  if  it  is  boil- 
ing." 

"  How  can  an  iron  kettle  boil  ?  If  you'll 
tell  me  that." 

«  Why,  the  water  boils  that  is  in  it.  The 
kettle  is  put  for  the  water." 

"  And  what  right  have  you  to  put  the  ket- 
tle for  the  water?  At  that  rate,  one  might 
do  all  sorts  of  things  —  Now  Pink,  how  can  I 
tell  if  the  water  boils  ?  The  steam  is  coming 
out  of  the  nose." 

«  That's  no  sign,  Norton.     Does  it  sing?" 

"  Sing !  "  said  Norton.  "  I  never  learned 
kettle  music.  No,  I  don't  think  it  does.  It 
bubbles ;  the  water  in  it  I  mean." 

Matilda  came  in  laughing.  "  No,"  she 
said,  "  it  has  stopped  singing ;  and  now  it 
boils.  The  steam  is  coming  out  from  under 
the  cover.  That's  a  sign.  Now,  Norton,  if  you 


12  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

like,  you  may  make  a  nice  plate  of  toast,  and 
I'll  butter  it.  Mr.  Richmond  likes  toast,  and 
he  is  tired  to-night,  I  know." 

"  I  can't  make  a  plate,"  said  Norton  ;  "  but 
I'll  try  for  the  toast.  Is  it  good  for  people 
that  are  tired  ?  " 

"  Anything  comfortable  is,  Norton." 

"  I  wouldn't  be  a  minister  !  "  said  Norton 
softly,  as  he  carefully  turned  and  toasted  the 
bread,  —  "I  would  not  be  a  minister,  for  as 
much  as  you  could  give  me." 

"  Why,  Norton  ?  I  think  I  would  —  if  I 
was  a  man." 

"  He  has  no  comfort  of  his  life,"  said  Nor- 
ton. "  This  sort  of  a  minister  doesn't  have. 
He  is  always  going,  going;  and  running 
to  see  people  that  want  him,  and  stupid 
people  too ;  he  has  to  talk  to  them,  all  the 
same  as  if  they  were  clever,  and  put  up  with 
them ;  and  he's  always  working  at  his  ser- 
mons and  getting  broken  off.  What  comfort 
of  his  life  does  Mr.  Richmond  have  now  ? 
except  when  you  and  I  make  toast  for  him  ?  " 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  13 

"  O  Norton,  I  think  he  has  a  great  deal.5' 

"  I  don't  see  it." 

Matilda  stood  wondering,  and  then  smiled  ; 
the  comfort  of  her  life  was  so  much  just  then. 
The  slices  of  toast  were  getting  brown  and 
buttered,  and  made  a  savory  smell  all  through 
the  kitchen  ;  and  now  Matilda  made  the  tea, 
and  the  flowery  fragrance  of  that  added 
another  item  to  what  seemed  the  great  stock 
of  pleasure  that  afternoon.  As  Miss  Red- 
wood had  once  said,  the  minister  knew  a  cup 
of  good  tea  when  he  saw  it ;  and  it  was  one 
of  the  few  luxuries  he  ever  took  pains  to 
secure;  and  the  sweetness  of  it  now  in  the 
little  parsonage  kitchen  was  something  very 
delicious.  Then  Matilda  went  and  put  her 
head  in  at  the  study  door. 

«  Tea  is  ready,  Mr.  Richmond." 

But  the  minister  did  not  immediately  obey 
the  summons,  and  the  two  children  stood 
behind  their  respective  chairs,  waiting.  Ma- 
tilda's face  was  towards  the  western  win- 
dows. 


14  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

"  Are  you  very  miserable,  Pink  ? "  said 
Norton,  watching  her. 

"  I  am  so  happy,  Norton !  " 

"  I  want  to  get  home  now,"  said  Norton, 
drumming  upon  his  chair.  "  I  want  you 
there.  You  belong  to  mamma  and  me,  and 
to  nobody  else  in  the  whole  world,  Pink ;  do 
you  know  that  ?  " 

Except  Mr.  Richmond  —  was  again  in  Ma- 
tilda's thoughts ;  but  she  did  not  say  it  this 
time.  It  was  nothing  against  Norton's  claim. 

"  Where  is  the  minister  ?  "  Norton  went  on. 
"  You  called  him." 

"  O  he  has  got  some  stupid  body  with  him, 
keeping  him  from  tea." 

"  That  is  what  I  said,"  Norton  repeated. 
"  I  wouldn't  live  such  a  life  —  not  for  money." 

Mr.  Richmond  came  however  at  this 
moment, looking  not  at  all  miserable;  glanced 
at  the  two  happy  faces  with  a  bright  eye  ; 
then  for  an  instant  they  were  still,  while  the 
sweet  willing  words  of -prayer  went  up  from 
lips  and  heart  to  bless  the  board. 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  15 

"  What  is  it  that  you  would  not  do  for 
money,  Norton  ?  "  Mr.  Richmond  asked  as  he 
received  his  cup  of  tea. 

Norton  hesitated  and  coloured.  Matilda 
spoke  for  him. 

"  Mr.  Richmond,  may  we  ask  you  some- 
thing ?  " 

"  Certainly ! "  said  the  minister,  with  a 
quick  look  at  the  two  faces. 

"  If  you  wouldn't  think  it  wrong  for  us  to 
ask.  —  Is  the  —  I  mean,  do  you  think,  —  the 
life  of  a  minister  is  a  very  hard  one  ?  " 

"  So  that  is  the  question,  is  it  ?  "  said  Mr. 
Richmond  smiling.  "  Is  Norton  thinking  of 
taking  the  situation  ?  " 

"  Norton  thinks  it  cannot  be  a  comfortable 
life,  Mr.  Richmond;  and  I  thought  he  was 
mistaken." 

"  What  do  you  suppose  a  minister's  busi- 
ness is,  Norton?  that  is  the  first  considera- 
tion. You  must  know  what  a  man  has  to 
do,  before  you  can  judge  whether  it  is  hard 
to  do  it." 


1 6  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

"  I  thought  I  knew,  sir." 

"  Yes,  I  suppose  so ;  but  it  don't  follow 
that  you  do." 

"  I  know  part,"  said  Norton.  "  A  minister 
has  to  preach  sermons,  and  marry  people, 
and  baptize  children,  arid  read  prayers  at 
funerals  and  —  " 

"  Go  on,"  said  Mr.  Richmond. 

"  I  was  going  to  say,  it  seems  to  me,  he 
has  to  talk  to  everybody  that  wants  to  talk  to 
him." 

"  How  do  you  get  along  with  that  diffi- 
culty ? "  said  Mr.  Richmond.  "  It  attacks 
other  people  besides  ministers." 

"  I  dodge  them,"  said  Norton.  "  But  a 
minister  cannot,  —  can  he,  sir?  " 

Mr.  Richmond  laughed. 

"  Well,  Norton,"  he  said,  "  you  have  given 
a  somewhat  sketchy  outline  of  a  minister's 
life  ;  but  my  question  remains  yet,  —  what  is 
the  business  of  his  life.  You  would  not  say 
that  planing  and  sawing  are  the  business  of  a 
carpenter's  life  —  would  you  ?  " 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  17 

«  No,  sir." 

"What  then?" 

"  Building  houses,  and  ships,  and  barns, 
and  bridges." 

"  And  a  tailor's  life  is  not  cutting  and 
snipping,  but  making  clothes.  So  my  com- 
mission is  not  to  make  sermons.  What  is 
it?" 

Norton  looked  at  a  loss,  and  expectant; 
Matilda  enjoying. 

"  The  same  that  was  given  to  the  apostle 
Paul,  and  no  worse.  I  am  sent  to  people  « to 
open  their  eyes,  and  to  turn  them  from  dark- 
ness to  light,  and  from  the  power  of  Satan  to 
God,  that  they  may  receive  forgiveness  of 
sins,  and  inheritance  among  them  which  are 
sanctified.'  " 

"  But  I  do  not  understand,  Mr.  Richmond," 
said  Norton,  after  a  little  pause. 

«  What  ?  " 

"  If  you  will  excuse  me.  I  do  not  under- 
stand that.  Can  you  open  people's  eyes  ?  " 

"  He  who  sends  me  does  that,  by  means  of 
2 


1 8  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

the  message  which  I  carry.  '  How  can  they 
believe  on  him  of  whom  they  have  not 
heard  ? '  " 

"  I  see  —  "  said  Norton  very  respectfully. 

"  You  see,  I  am  the  King's  messenger. 
And  my  business  is,  to  carry  the  King's  mes- 
sage. It  is  possible  to  make  sermons,  and  not 
do  that." 

"  I  don't  think  I  ever  heard  the  message, 
or  anything  that  sounded  like  a  message,  in 
our  church,"  said  Norton. 

"  Do  you  know  what  the  message  is  ?  " 
Norton    looked    up   from    his   toast   and 
seemed  a  little  taken  aback. 

"  You  might  have  heard  it  without  know- 
ing it" 

"  Might  I  ?     What  is  the  message,  sir  ?  " 

"  This  is  it.  That  God  wants  and  calls  for 
the  love  of  every  human  heart ;  and  that  on 
his  part  he  loves  us  so  well,  as  to  give  his 
own  Son  to  die  for  us,  that  we  might  be  saved 
through  him." 

"  Why  to  die  for  us  ?  "  inquired  Norton. 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  19 

"  Because  we  all  deserved  to  die,  and  he 
took  our  place.  '  He  tasted  death  for  every 
man.'  So  for  you  and  for  me.  What  do 
we  owe  to  one  who  gave  his  life  to  ransom 
ours  ?  " 

"  I  see,"  —  said  Norton  again  thoughtfully. 
"  But  Mr.  Richmond,  people  do  not  always 
hear  the  message  —  do  they  ?  " 

"  You  can  tell,"  said  Mr.  Richmond,  shortly. 

"  I  see  !  "  repeated  Norton.  «  It  isn't  mak- 
ing sermons.  I  don't  see,  though,  why  it 
isn't  a  hard  life." 

"  That  requires  another  explanation,  but  it 
is  not  difficult.  How  would  one  naturally 
feel,  Norton,  towards  another,  who  by  his  own 
suffering  and  death  had  saved  him  when  he 
was  bound  to  die  ?  " 

"  You  mean,  who  had  done  it  on  purpose  ?  " 
said  Norton. 

"  On  purpose.  Just  because  he  loved  the 
lost  one." 

"  Why,"  said  Norton,  "  if  the  man  had  any 
heart  in  him  "  — 


20  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

"Well?    What  then?" 

"  Why,  he  wouldn't  think  that  his  hand 
was  his  own." 

"  He  would  belong  to  his  redeemer  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sir." 

"So  I  think,  Norton.  Then,  tell  me,  do 
you  think  it  would  be  hard  work  to  do  any- 
thing to  please  or  serve  such  a  friend  ? 
Would  even  hardships  seem  hard  ?  " 

"  I  can't  think  what  would  seem  hard,"  said 
Norton  eagerly. 

But  then  a  silence  fell  upon  the  little 
party.  Matilda  had  opened  all  her  ears  to 
hear  Norton  speak  in  this  manner ;  she  was 
excited ;  she  almost  thought  that  he  was 
about  to  enter  into  the  life  he  seemed  to  un- 
derstand so  well ;  but  Mr.  Richmond  went  on 
with  his  tea  quite  composedly,  and  Norton 
was  a  little  embarrassed.  What  was  the  mat- 
ter ?  Matilda  wished  some  one  would  speak 
again ;  but  Mr.  Richmond  sent  his  cup  to  be 
filled,  and  stirred  it,  and  took  another  piece 
of  toast,  and  Norton  never  raised  his  eyes 
from  his  plate. 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  21 

"  That  idea  is  new  to  you,  my  boy  ?  "  said 
Mr.  Richmond  at  last,  smiling. 

"  I  never  —  well,  yes ;  —  I  do  not  under- 
stand those  things,"  said  Norton. 

"  You  understood  this  1 " 

"  Your  words  ;  yes,  sir." 

"  And  the  thing  which  my  words  meant  ?  " 

"  I  suppose  —  yes,  I  suppose  I  do,"  said 
Norton. 

"  Do  you  understand  the  bearing  of  it  on 
all  of  us  three  at  the  table." 

Norton  looked  up  inquiringly. 

"  You  comprehend  how  it  touches  me  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sir,"  —  Norton  answered  with  pro- 
found respect  in  eye  and  voice. 

"  And  Matilda  ?  " 

The  boy's  eye  went  quick  and  sharp  to  the 
little  figure  at  the  head  of  the  table.  What 
his  look  meant,  Matilda  could  not  tell ;  and 
he  did  not  speak. 

"  You  comprehend  how  it  touches  Ma- 
tilda ?"  Mr.  Richmond  repeated. 

"  No,  sir,"  was  answered  rather  stoutly.     It 


22  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

had  very  much  the  air  of  not  wanting  to 
know. 

"  You  should  understand,  if  you  are  to  live 
in  the  same  house  together.  The  same 
Friend  has  done  the  same  kindness  for 
Matilda  that  he  has  done  for  me ;  he  has 
given  himself  to  death  that  she  might  live ; 
and  she  has  heard  it  and  believed  it,  and 
obeyed  his  voice  and  become  his  servant. 
What  sort  of  life  ought  she  to  live  ?  " 

Norton  stared  at  Mr.  Richmond,  not  in  the 
least  rudely,  but  like  one  very  much  discom- 
fited. He  looked  as  if  he  were  puzzling  to 
find  his  way  out  of  a  trap.  But  Matilda 
clapped  her  hands  together,  exclaiming, 

"I  am  so  glad  Norton  understands  that! 
I  never  could  make  him  understand  it." 

"  Why  you  never  tried,"  said  Norton. 

"  O  yes,  I  did,  Norton ;  in  different  ways. 
I  suppose  I  never  said  it  so  that  you  could 
understand  it." 

"  I  don't  understand  it  now,"  said  Nor- 
ton. 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  23 

"  O  Mr.  Richmond !  don't  he  ?  "  said  Ma- 
tilda. 

"  Tell  him,"  said  the  minister.  «  Perhaps 
you  put  it  too  cautiously.  Tell  him  in  words 
that  he  cannot  mistake,  what  sort  of  life  you 
mean  to  lead." 

The  little  girl  hesitated  and  looked  at  Nor- 
ton. Norton,  like  one  acting  under  protest, 
looked  at  her.  They  waited,  questioning  each 
other's  faces. 

« It  is  that,  Norton,"  Matilda  said  at  last 
very  gently,  and  with  a  sort  of  tenderness  in 
tone  and  manner  which  spoke  for  her.  "  It  is 
just  that  you  said.  I  do  not  think  that  my 
hand  is  my  own." 

Norton  looked  at  the  little  hand  uncon- 
sciously extended  to  point  her  words,  as  if  he 
would  have  liked  to  confiscate  it ;  he  made 
no  reply,  but  turned  to  his  supper  again. 
The  conversation  had  taken  a  turn  he  did 
not  welcome. 

"  We  have  not  done  with  the  subject,"  Mr. 
Richmond  went  on.  "  You  see  how  it 


24  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

touches  me  now,  and  how  it  touches  Matilda. 
You  know  by  your  own  shewing,  what  sort 
of  life  she  ought  to  lead  ;  and  so  you  will  know 
how  you  ought  to  help  her  and  not  hinder 
her  in  it.  But  Norton,  —  how  does  it  touch 
you  ?  " 

The  boy  was  not  ready  with  an  answer. 
Then  he  said, — 

"  I  don't  see  that  it  touches  me  any  way, 
sir." 

"  On  honour  ?  "  said  Mr.  Richmond  gently. 
"  That  same  Friend  has  done  the  same 
kindness  for  you." 

Norton  looked  as  if  he  wished  it  were  not 
true ;  and  as  if  very  unwilling  to  admit  any- 
thing. 

"  I  wish  you  could  hear  what  I  hear,"  said 
Mr.  Richmond.  "  So  many  voices !  —  " 

"  What,  sir  ?  "  asked  both  the  children  at 
once. 

"  So  many  voices ! "  repeated  Mr.  Rich- 
mond. "  I  hear  the  voice  of  love  now,  from 
the  skies,  speaking  that  soft,  sweet  '  Come ! ' 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  25 

in  the  heart.  I  hear  my  own  voice  giving 
the  message.  I  hear  the  promise  to  them 
who  seek  for  glory,  honour,  and  immortality. 
And  I  hear  the  sound  of  the  harps  of  those 
who  have  a  new  song  to  sing,  which  none 
can  learn  but  the  hundred  and  forty  and  four 
thousand  which  have  been  redeemed  from  the 
earth.  And  I  hear  the  rejoicing  in  heaven  of 
those  who  will  say,  *  Thou  wast  slain,  and 
hast  redeemed  us  to  God  by  thy  blood,  out 
of  every  kindred  and  tongue  and  people  and 
nation ;  and  hast  made  us  unto  our  God 
kings  and  priests,  and  we  shall  reign  on  the 
earth.'  And  then  there  is  a  throne  and  a 
judgment  seat,  and  I  hear  a  voice  that  says, 
'  Well  done,  good  and  faithful  servant;  enter 
thou  into  the  joy  of  thy  Lord.'  —  " 

Mr.  Richmond's  voice  had  fallen  a  little ; 
his  eyes  were  cast  down.  Norton's  eyes 
were  downcast  too,  and  his  face ;  it  did  not 
respond,  as  Matilda's  face  did ;  and  when  the 
party  rose  from  table  a  minute  or  two  after- 
wards, Norton  made  use  of  his  liberty  to  quit 


26  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

the  room  and  the  house.  Matilda  brought  her 
tub  of  water  to  wash  up  the  cups  and  plates. 
Mr.  Richmond  had  gone  off  to  his  study. 

The  little  girl  touched  the  china  with  soft 
delicate  fingers ;  lifted  each  piece  and  set  it 
down  with  gentle  noiselessness ;  the  little 
clink  of  the  china  keeping  measure,  perhaps, 
with  the  thoughts  which  moved  and  touched, 
so  gently,  in  her  heart.  Presently  Mr.  Rich- 
mond came  out  again.  He  walked  up  and 
down  the  little  room  several  times  ;  it  was  a 
small  walk,  for  a  very  few  of  his  steps  took 
him  from  one  corner  to  the  other;  then  he 
came  and  stood  beside  the  table  where 
Matilda  was  at  work.  The  child  stopped 
and  looked  up  at  him  wistfully.  Their  eyes 
met;  and  a  smile  of  much  love  and  confi- 
dence was  exchanged  between  the  two. 

"Mr.  Richmond,  — "said  Matilda,  "isn't 
it  difficult,  sometimes,  to  keep  hearing  those 
voices  ?  " 

You  could  see  the  light  spring  into  the 
young  man's  eyes;  but  he  answered  very 
quietly,  "  Why,  Matilda  ?  " 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  27 

"  I  think  it  is  difficult,"  the  child  repeated. 

"  You  find  it  so  ?  " 

"  I  think,  sometimes,  Mr.  Richmond,  I 
don't  hear  them  at  all." 

"  It  is  not  necessary  to  be  always  thinking 
about  them." 

"  No,  I  know  that ;  but  sometimes  I  seem 
to  get  out  of  the  sound  of  them." 

"How  comes  that?" 

"  I  don't  know.  I  think  it  must  be  because 
I  am  hearing  other  voices  so  much." 

"You  are  right."  Mr.  Richmond  began 
his  pacing  up  and  down  again.  Matilda 
stood  with  a  cup  in  her  hands  which  she  had 
been  washing,  the  water  dripping  from  her 
fingers  and  it  into  the  tub. 

"  How  can  I  help  it,  Mr.  Richmond  ?  " 

Mr.  Richmond  was  thinking  perhaps  of 
Fenelon's  words :  "  O  how  rare  is  it,  to  find 
a  soul  still  enough  to  hear  God  speak  !  "  — 
but  he  did  not  quote  them  to  the  child.  He 
stood  still  again. 

"  Tilly,  when  one  gets  out  of  hearing  of 


28  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

those  voices,  the  enemy  has  a  good  chance 
to  whisper  to  us ;  and  he  never  loses  a 
chance.  That  was  what  happened  to  Eve 
in  the  garden  of  Eden." 

"  How  can  I  do,  Mr.  Richmond  ?  " 

"  I  should  say,  dear,  don't  get  out  of 
hearing  of  them." 

"  But,  sometimes  "  —  Matilda  paused  in 
difficulty.  "  Sometimes  I  am  thinking  of  so 
many  other  things,  and  my  head  gets  full ; 
and  then  I  do  not  know  where  I  am." 

Mr.  Richmond  smiled.  "  You  could  not 
have  given  a  better  description  of  the  case," 
he  said.  "  But  Matilda,  when  you  find  that 
you  do  not  know  where  you  are,  run  away, 
shut  yourself  up,  and  find  out.  It  isn't  safe 
to  get  out  of  hearing  of  the  Lord's  voice." 

"  O  Mr.  Richmond !  "  said  the  child.  "  I 
want  to  be  where  I  can  hear  it  all  the  time." 

"  There  is  one  way.     Don't  you  know  it?  " 

«  No,  sir;  I  don't  think  I  do.'» 

"  My  dear  child,  it  is  very  simple.  Only 
obey  his  voice  when  you  hear  it,  and  it  will 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 


29 


always  be  with  you.  Obedience  is  the  little 
key  that  unlocks  the  whole  mystery,  —  the 
whole  mystery,"  said  Mr.  Richmond,  begin- 
ning to  walk  up  and  down  again.  "  When 
you  hear  ever  so  soft  a  whisper  in  your  heart, 
saying,  '  This  is  the  way,'  follow  there ;  and 
so  the  Lord  will  lead  you  always." 

Mr.  Richmond  went  off  to  his  study,  but 
paused  again  to  say,  "  Study  the  twenty  third 
verse  of  the  fourteenth  chapter  of  John,  Ma- 
tilda ;  and  take  that  for  your  rule." 

Matilda  went  about  softly,  putting  the 
china  in  the  pantry,  making  the  table  clean, 
hanging  up  her  towel  and  putting  away  her 
tub.  Just  as  she  had  finished,  Mr.  Rich- 
mond opened  the  door.  He  had  his  hat  and 
great  coat  on. 

"  Tilly,  look  after  my  fire,  will  you  ?  "  he 
said.  u  I  shall  be  gone  some  time  probably." 


CHAPTER  II. 

"ly/TATILDA  went  to  the  study.  It  was 
in  winter  trim  now.  The  red  curtains 
fell  over  the  windows  ;  a  carpet  had  replaced 
or  covered  the  summer  mat;  the  lamp  was 
lighted,  but  burned  low ;  and  a  fire  of  nut 
wood  sticks  blazed  and  crackled  softly  in  the 
chimney.  The  whole  room  was  sweet  with 
the  smell  of  it.  Matilda  sat  down  on  the 
rug  in  front  of  the  blaze  ;  but  she  was  hardly 
there  when  she  heard  the  front  door  open  and 
Norton  come  in.  So  she  called  him  to  the 
study. 

"  Is  the  dominie  gone  out  ?  "  said  Norton, 
as  he  entered  Mr.  Richmond's  sanctum. 

"  Gone  out  for  a  good  while,  he  said.  You 
and  I  have  got  to  take  care  of  the  fire." 
And  Matilda  threw  herself  down  on  the  rug 
again. 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  31 

"  This  is  jolly,"  said  Norton. 

"Isn't  it?"  said  Matilda.  "It  is  so  nice 
here.  And  do  you  smell,  Norton,  how  sweet 
it  is  with  the  hickory  wood  ?  " 

"  That  isn't  hickory,"  said  Norton.  "  It's 
oak." 

"  Part  of  it  is  hickory,  Norton,  I  know. 
But  I  suppose  oak  is  sweet." 

"  I  think  everything  is  sweet  to  you,"  said 
Norton. 

"  I  do  think  it  is,"  said  Matilda.  "  Every- 
thing is  to-night,  I  am  sure.  Everything. 
Isn't  this  just  as  pleasant  as  it  can  be  ?  " 

"  It's  jolly,"  said  Norton.  "  Let's  have  on 
another  stick.  Now  we  can  think  and  talk 
what  we  will  do." 

"  What  we  will  do,  Norton  ?  "  Matilda  re- 
peated. 

"  Yes.  We've  got  no  end  of  things  to  do. 
Why,  now  we  can  do  what  we  like,  Pink. 
You  aren't  going  away  any  more ;  and  we 
can  just  lay  our  plans  in  comfort." 

"  I  did'nt  know  we  had  any  plans  to  lay," 


32  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

said  Matilda.  She  looked  as  if  the  present 
was  good  enough.  The  firelight  shone  on 
a  little  figure  and  face  of  most  utter  content- 
ment, there  down  on  the  rug;  a  soft  little 
head,  a  very  gentle  face,  but  alive  with  pleas- 
ant thoughts. 

"  We  want  to  get  home  now,"  continued 
Norton. 

"  But  it  is  pleasant  here,  too.  O  Norton  ! " 
Matilda  broke  out  suddenly,  "  you  don't 
know  how  pleasant!  Now  I  can  take  the 
good  of  it.  I  did  before,  in  a  way ;  but  then 
I  was  always  thinking  it  would  maybe  stop 
to-morrow.  Now  it  will  never  stop ;  I  am 
so  glad!" 

"  What  will  never  stop  ?  " 

"  O  I  don't  know.  It  seems  to  me  my 
happiness  will  never  stop.  You  don't  know 
anything  about  it,  Norton.  To  think  I  am 
not  to  go  back  to  that  old  life  again  —  I  was 
afraid  of  it  every  day ;  and  now  to-night 
at  tea,  and  now,  T  am  as  happy  as  1  can  be. 
I  can't  think  of  it  enough." 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  33 

"  Of  what,  Pink  ?  " 

"  Of  that.  That  I  am  not  to  go  back  to 
aunt  Candy  any  more." 

"  What  do  you  think  of  where  you  are, 
going  ? "  asked  Norton  a  little  jealously. 
But  his  face  cleared  the  next  instant. 

"  Norton,"  said  Matilda,  "  I  can't  think  of 
it, —  not  yet.  It  is  too  good  to  think  of  all 
at  once.  I  have  to  take  part  at  a  time.  If 
I  did  think  of  it,  I  don't  know  but  it  would 
seem  too  good  to  be  true." 

"  Well  it  isn't,"  said  Norton.  "  Now  Pink, 
we'll  fix  those  hyacinth  and  tulip  beds  all 
right.  You  haven't  chosen  your  bulbs  yet. 
And  then,  when  we  have  planted  our  bulbs 
—  I  hope  it  is  not  too  late  yet,  but  I  declare 
I  don't  know !  —  perhaps  we'll  leave  the  win- 
ter to  take  care  of  them,  and  we'll  go  off  to 
New  York  till  spring.  How  would  you  like 
that?" 

"  I  don't  care  where  I  go,"  said  Matilda,  — 
"  with  you  and  Mrs.  Laval." 

"  You  never  saw  New  York,  did  you  ?  " 


34  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

"  No,  never.  Is  it  pleasanter  than  Briery 
Bank,  Norton  ?  " 

"  Well,  not  when  the  tulips  are  out,  per- 
haps; -but  in  the  cold  weather  it's  jolly 
enough.  It's  queer,  though." 

"  Queer  ?  "  repeated  Matilda  curiously. 

"  I  wonder  if  you  wouldn't  think  so,"  said 
Norton.  "  I  don't  mean  New  York,  you 
know ;  that's  all  right ;  but  our  house." 

"  I  didn't  know  you  had  a  house  in  New 
York,"  said  Matilda. 

"No,  of  course  not;  how  should  you?  but 
now  it's  different.  Pink,  it  is  very  jolly  !"  said 
Norton,  quitting  his  seat  in  the  chimney  cor- 
ner and  coming  down  on  the  rug  beside 
Matilda.  "  That's  a  good  fire  to  roast  chest- 
nuts." 

"Is  it?  but  we  haven't  any  chestnuts  to 
roast,"  said  Matilda. 

"  That's  another  thing  you  don't  know," 
said  Norton.  "  We've  got  a  lot  of  chestnuts, 
—  splendid  ones,  too.  I'll  fetch  'em,  and 
we'll  roast  some.  It's  the  very  best  way." 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 


35 


Norton  went  off  for  a  basket,  which  proved 
to  be  full  of  brown,  plump  chestnuts,  large 
and  shining  as  they  should  be.  Sitting 
down  upon  the  rug  again  he  began  to  pre- 
pare some  for  roasting,  by  cutting  a  small 
bit  off  one  corner.  Matilda  picked  up  these 
bits  of  skin  and  threw  them  into  the  fire  as 
fast  as  they  were  cut. 

"  Never  mind,"  said  Norton.  "  We'll  sweep 
'em  up  in  a  heap  at  the  end,  and  make  one 
job  of  it." 

"But  Mr.  Richmond  might  come  in." 

"Well,  — he  has  seen  chestnuts  before," 
said  Norton  coolly. 

"  I  don't  believe  he  has  seen  people  cut- 
ting and  roasting  them  in  his  study,  though." 

"  All  right.     We'll  give  him  some." 

"  But  what  are  you  doing  that  for,  Nor- 
ton ?  " 

"Did  you  never  roast  chestnuts,  Pink?" 

"  No.  We  never  had  a  fireplace,-  with 
wood,  I  mean,  in  our  house." 

"  It's  a  good  sort  of  thing  to  have  in  any 


36  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

house,"  said  Norton.  "  I  believe  I'll  have 
'em  all  through  my  house." 

"  Your  house?" 

"  Yes.  I  shall  have  a  house  some  day ; 
and  then  you  and  mamma  will  live  with  me." 

Matilda  could  not  see  the  reason  for  this 
inversion  of  arrangements,  and  she  was 
silent  a  little  while ;  studying  it,  without 
success. 

"  But  what  are  you  cutting  these  little 
pieces  off  for,  Norton  ?  " 

"  Why,  they'd  fly  if  I  didn't." 

"  What  would  fly  ?  " 

«  Why  the  chestnuts,  Pink  !  They  would 
fly  all  over." 

"  Out  of  the  fire  ?  " 

"  Yes.     Certainly." 

"  What  would  make  them  fly  ?  and  how 
will  that  hinder  it?" 

Norton  sat  back  on  the  rug  —  he  had  been 
bending  over  to  screen  his  face  from  the  heat 
of  the  blaze  —  and  looked  at  Matilda  with  very 
benevolent,  laughing  eyes. 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  37 

"  Pink,  the  chestnuts  are  green." 

"  Aren't  they  ripe  ?  "  said  Matilda.  "  They 
look  so." 

"  Yes,  yes,  they  are  ripe ;  but  what  I  mean 
is,  that  they  are  fresh;  they  are  not  dry. 
There  is  a  great  deal  of  water  in  them." 

"  Water  ?  "  said  Matilda. 

"  Not  standing  in  a  pool,  you  know ;  but 
in  the  juice,  or  sap,  or  whatever  you  call  it. 
Well,  you  know  that  fire  makes  water  boil  ?  " 

«  Yes." 

"  And  when  water  turns  into  steam,  you 
know  it  takes  room  ?  " 

"  Yes,  I  know,"  said  Matilda. 

"  Well,  that's  it.  When  steam  begins  to 
make  in  the  chestnut,  the  skin  won't  hold  it ; 
and  unless  I  cut  a  place  for  it  to  get  out,  it 
will  burst  the  chestnut.  And  when  it  bursts, 
the  chestnuts  will  generally  jump." 

"  Yes,  I  understand,"  said  Matilda. 

"  And  wherever  it  jumps  to,  it  will  be  apt 
to  make  a  hole  in  the  carpet." 

"  But,  Norton !  I  should  think  if  the  steam 


38  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

made  very  fast,  in  a  hot  place,  you  know,  it 
might  burst  the  chestnut  in  spite  of  the  hole 
you  have  cut." 

"  Ay,"  said  Norton.  "  That  does  happen 
occasionally.  We'll  be  on  the  look-out." 

Then  he  prepared  a  nice  bed  of  ashes, 
laid  the  chestnuts  in  carefully,  and  covered 
them  up  artistically,  first  with  ashes  and 
then  with  coals.  Matilda  watched  the  pro- 
cess with  great  interest,  and  a  little  wonder 
what  Mr.  Richmond  would  think  of  it. 
However,  he  had  said  that  he  was  likely  to 
be  out  for  some  time,  and  it  was  now  only 
half  past  seven  o'clock.  The  fire  burned 
gently,  and  the  ash-bed  of  chestnuts  looked 
very  promising. 

"  What  was  it  you  said  was  jolly,  when 
you  came  and  sat  down  on  the  rug  here, 
Norton  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know." 

«  You  said, '  Pink,  it  is  very  jolly ! '  " 

«  The  fire,  I  guess.  O,  I  know!  "  said  Nor- 
ton.  "  I  meant  this,  Pink ;  that  it  is  very 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  39 

capital  we  have  got  you  now,  and  you  be- 
long to  us,  and  whatever  we  do,  we  shall  do 
together.  I  was  thinking  of  that,  I  know, 
and  of  the  New  York  house.  Hallo  ! " 

For  an  uneasy  chestnut  at  this  instant 
made  a  commotion  in  the  bed  of  ashes ;  and 
presently  another  leaped  clean  out.  But  it 
was  not  roasted  enough,  Norton  affirmed, 
and  so  was  put  back. 

"  What  about  the  New  York  house  ?  "  said 
Matilda  then. 

"  Why,  a  good  many  things,  you'll  find," 
said  Norton ;  "  and  people  too.  You've  got 
to  know  about  it  now.  It's  my  grand- 
mother's house,  to  begin  with.  Look  out! 
there's  another  chestnut." 

Matilda  wondered  that  she  had  never  heard 
of  this  lady  before ;  though  she  did  not  say  so. 

"  It  is  my  grandmother's  house,"  Norton 
repeated,  as  he  recovered  the  erring  chestnut ; 
"  and  she  would  b'ke  that  we  should  be  there 
always ;  but  there  is  more  to  be  said  about 
it.  I  have  an  aunt  living  there ;  an  aunt 


40  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

that  married  a  Jew;  her  husband  is  dead, 
and  now  she  makes  her  home  with  my 
grandmother  ;  she  and  her  two  children,  my 
cousins." 

"  Then  you  have  cousins !  "  Matilda  re- 
peated. 

"  Two  Jew  cousins.     Yes." 

"  Are  they  Jews  ?  " 

"  She  isn't,  my  aunt  isn't ;  but  they  are. 
Judith  is  a  real  little  Jewess,  with  eyes  as 
black  as  a  dewberry,  and  as  bright;  and 
David  —  well,  he's  a  Jew." 

"  How  old  are  they  ?  " 

"  About  as  old  as  we  are.  There's  a 
chestnut,  Pink!  it  went  over  there." 

That  chestnut  was  captured,  and  kept  and 
eaten  ;  and  Matilda  said  she  had  never  eaten 
anything  so  good  in  the  shape  of  a  chestnut. 

"  Of  course  you  haven't,"  said  Norton. 
"  That  one  wasn't  done,  though.  We  must 
leave  them  a  little  while  longer." 

"  And  when  you're  in  the  city  you  all  live 
together  ?  "  Matilda  went  on. 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  41 

"  When  we  are  in  the  city  we  all  live  to- 
gether. And  grandmamma  never  will  leave 
aunt  Judy,  and  aunt  Judy  never  will  come 
up  here ;  so  in  the  summer  we  don't  all  live 
together.  And  I  am  glad  of  it." 

Matilda  wanted  very  much  to  ask  why, 
but  she  did  not.  Norton  presently  went 
on. 

"  It  is  all  very  well  in  the  winter.  But 
then  I  am  going  to  school  all  the  while,  and 
there  isn't  so  much  time  for  things.  And  I 
like  driving  here  better  than  in  the  park." 

"  What  is  the  park  ?  "  Matilda  inquired. 

"  You  don't  know  ! "  exclaimed  Norton. 
"  That's  good  fun.  Promise  me,  Pink,  that 
you  will  go  with  nobody  but  me  the  first 
time.  Promise  me ! " 

"  Why,  whom  should  I  go  with,  Norton  ? 
Who  would  take  me?" 

"  I  don't  know.  Mamma  might,  or  grand- 
mother might,  or  aunt  Judy.  Promise, 
Pink." 

"  Well,  I  will  not,  if  1  can  help  it,"  said 


42  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

Matilda.  "  But  how  funny  it  is  that  I  should 
be  making  you  such  a  promise." 

"  Ay,  isn't  it  ?  "  said  Norton.  "  There  will 
be  a  good  many  such  funny  things,  you'll 
find." 

"  But  how  are  these  cousins  of  yours  Jews, 
Norton,  when  their  mother  is  not  a  Jew  ?  " 

"  Jewess,"  said  Norton.  "  Why,  because 
their  father  was,  —  a  Jew,  I  mean.  He  was  a 
Spanish  Jew ;  and  my  aunt  and  cousins 
have  lived  in  Spain  till  three  years  ago. 
How  should  a  boy  with  his  name,  David 
Bartholomew,  be  anything  but  a  Jew?  " 

"  Bartholomew  is  English,  isn't  it  ?  " 

"  Yes,  the  name.  O  they  are  not  Span- 
iards entirely ;  only  the  family  has  lived  out 
there  for  ever  so  long.  They  have  relations 
enough  in  New  York.  I  wish  they  hadn't." 

"  But  how  are  they  Jews,  Norton  ?  Don't 
they  believe  —  what  we  believe  ?  "  Matilda's 
voice  sunk. 

"  What  we  believe  ?  "  repeated  Norton. 
"  Part  of  it,  I  suppose.  They  are  not  like 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 


43 


Hindoos  or  Chinese.  But  you  had  better  not 
talk  to  them  just  as  you  talked  to  Mr.  Rich- 
mond to-night." 

"  But,  Norton  —  I  must  live  so." 
"  Live  how  you  like  ;  they  have  got  nothing 
to  do  with  your  living.      Now,  Pink,  I  think 
we'll  overhaul  those  chestnuts,  —  if  you've  no 
objection." 

It  was  very  exciting,  getting  the  roasted 
fruit  out  from  among  the  ashes  and  coals, 
burning  their  fingers,  counting  the  chestnuts, 
and  eating  them ;  and  then  Norton  prepared 
a  second  batch,  that  they  might,  as  he  said, 
have  some  to  give  to  Mr.  Richmond.  Eating 
and  cooking,  a  great  deal  of  talk  went  on  all 
the  while.  Eight  o'clock  came,  and  nine ; 
and  still  not  Mr.  Richmond.  Norton  went 
out  to  look  at  the  weather,  as  far  as  the 
piazza  steps ;  and  came  in  powdered  with 
snow.  It  was  thickly  falling,  he  said  ;  so  the 
two  children  went  to  work  again.  It  was 
impossible  to  sit  there  with  the  chestnuts 
and  not  eat  them ;  so  Norton  roasted  a  third 


44  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

quantity.  Just  as  these  were  reclaimed  from 
the  ashes,  Mr.  Richmond  came  in.  He  looked 
tired. 

"  So  you  have  kept  my  hearth  warm  for 
me,"  he  said ;  "  and  provided  me  supper. 
Thank  you." 

"  We  have  done  no  harm,  sir,  I  hope,"  said 
Norton  ;  "  though  it  was  in  your  study." 

"  My  study  was  the  very  place,"  said  Mr. 
Richmond.  "  You  cannot  get  such  a  fire 
everywhere  ;  and  my  fire  does  not  often  have 
such  pleasant  use  made  of  it.  I  shall  miss 
you  both." 

"  How  soon  shall  we  be  ordered  away, 
sir?"  Norton  asked. 

"  Your  mother  said  to-morrow ;  but  at  the 
rate  the  snow  is  falling,  that  will  hardly  be. 
It  looks  like  a  great  storm,  or  feels  like  it 
rather.  It's  impossible  to  see" 

A  great  storm  it  proved  the  next  morning. 
The  snow  was  falling  very  thick ;  it  lay 
heaped  on  the  branches  of  the  pines,  and 
drifted  into  a  great  bank  at  the  corner  of  the 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  45 

piazza,  and  blocked  up  the  window-sills.  It 
was  piled  up  high  on  the  house  steps,  and 
had  quite  covered  all  signs  of  path  and  road- 
way ;  the  little  sweep  in  front  of  the  house 
was  levelled  and  hid  ;  the  track  to  the  barn 
could  not  be  traced  any  longer.  And  still  the 
snow  came  down,  in  gentle,  swift,  stayless 
supply ;  fast  piling  up  fresh  beautiful  feathers 
of  crystal  on  those  that  already  settled  soft 
upon  all  the  earth.  So  Matilda  found  things 
when  she  got  up  in  the  morning.  The  air 
was  dark  with  the  snow-clouds,  and  yet  light 
with  a  beautiful  light  from  the  universal 
whiteness;  and  the  air  was  sweet  with  the 
pure  sweetness  of  the  falling  snow.  Matilda 
hurried  down.  It  was  Sunday  morning. 

"  There'll  be  no  getting  away  to-day,"  said 
Norton,  as  together  they  set  the  breakfast  in 
readiness. 

"  Miss  Redwood  can't  come  home  either," 
said  Matilda.  She  was  privately  glad.  A 
snowy  Sunday  at  the  parsonage,  one  more 
Sunday,  would  be  pleasant. 


46  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

"  You  can't  get  to  church  either,"  Norton 
went  on. 

"  Why  Norton  !  This  little  bit  of  way  ? 
It  isn't  but  half  a  dozen  steps." 

"  It  is  several  half  dozen,"  said  Norton  • 
"  and  the  snow  is  all  of  a  foot  deep,  and  in 
places  it  has  drifted,  and  there  isn't  a  sign  of 
anybody  coming  to  clear  it  away  yet.  I 
don't  believe  there'll  be  twenty  people  in 
church,  anyhow.  It's  falling  as  thick  as  it 
can" 

"  Mr.  Ulshoeffer  will  clear  it  away  in  front 
of  the  church,"  said  Matilda.  "  Some  people 
will  come.  There !  there's  somebody  at  our 
back  steps  now." 

Norton  opened  the  kitchen  door  to  see  if 
it  was  true ;  and  to  his  great  astonishment 
found  Mr.  Richmond,  in  company  with  a 
large  wooden  shovel,  clearing  the  snow  from 
the  steps  and  kitchen  area. 

"  Good  morning!  "  said  the  minister,  from 
out  of  the  snow. 

"  Good  morning,  sir.     Mr.  Richmond !  isn't 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 


47 


there  somebody  coming  to  do  that  for  you, 
sir?" 

"  I  don't  know  who  is  to  come,"  said  the 
minister  pleasantly.  "  You  had  better  shut 
the  door  and  keep  warm." 

"  Tell  him  breakfast  is  ready,  Norton," 
Matilda  cried. 

"Well!"  said  Norton,  shutting  the  door 
and  coming  in.  "  Do  you  mean  to  say  that 
Mr.  Richmond  shovels  his  own  snow  ?  " 

"  His  own  snow !  "  repeated  Matilda,  with 
a  little  burst  of  laughter.  "  Which  part  of 
the  snow  is  Mr.  Richmond's  ?  " 

"  What  lies  on  his  own  ground,  I  should 
say.  Why  don't  he  have  some  one  come  to 
do  it  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know,"  said  Matilda ;  and  she 
looked  grave  now.  "  I  don't  know  who  there 
is  to  come  to  do  it." 

"  There  are  people  enough  to  do  anything 
for  money,"  said  Norton.  "  Don't  he  have 
somebody  come  to  do  it  ?  " 

"I    don't   know,"    said    Matilda.     "If   he 


48  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

had,  I  do  not  think  he  would  do  it  him- 
self." 

"  Then  he  gets  very  shabby  treatment,"  said 
Norton  ;  "  that's  all.  I  tell  you,  shovelling 
snow  is  work  ;  and  cold  work  at  that." 

"  I  suppose  the  people  can't  give  great 
pay  to  their  minister,"  said  Matilda. 

"  Then  they  can  come  and  clear  away  the 
snow  for  him.  They  have  hands  enough,  if 
they  haven't  the  cash.  I  wonder  if  they  let 
him  do  it  for  himself  always  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know." 

"  Well,  if  I  was  a  minister,"  said  Norton, 
"  which  I  am  glad  I'm  not,  I'd  have  a  church 
where  people  could  give  me  enough  pay  to 
keep  my  hands  out  of  the  snow!  " 

"  Hush ! "  said  Matilda.  "  Breakfast  is 
ready,  and  Mr.  Richmond  is  coming  in." 

The  little  dining-room  was  more  pleasant 
than  ever  that  morning.  The  white  bright- 
ness that  came  in  through  the  snowy  air 
seemed  to  make  fire  and  warmth  and  break- 
fast particularly  cosy.  And  there  was  a 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  49 

hush,  and  a  purity,  and  a  crisp  frost  in  the 
air,  filling  that  Sunday  morning  with  especial 
delights.  But  Mr.  Richmond  eat  his  break- 
fast like  a  man  who  had  business  on  hand. 

"  Norton  thinks  there  will  not  be  many 
people  at  church,  Mr.  Richmond." 

"  There  will  be  one,"  said  Mr.  Richmond. 
"  And  that  he  may  get  there,  I  have  a  good 
deal  of  work  yet  to  do." 

"More  snow,  sir?  "  inquired  Norton. 

"  All  the  way  from  here  to  the  church 
porch." 

"  Won't  somebody  come  to  do  it,  sir,  and 
save  you  the  trouble  ?  " 

"  I  can't  tell,"  said  the  minister  laughing. 
"  Nobody  ever  did  yet." 

Norton  said  nothing ;  but  Matilda  was 
very  much  pleased  that  after  breakfast  he 
took  a  spade  and  joined  Mr.  Richmond  in  his 
work.  Matilda  never  forgot  that  day.  The 
snow  continued  to  fall;  flickering  irregularly 
through  the  pine  leaves  and  leaving  a  goodly 
portion  of  its  stores  gathered  on  the  branches 


50  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

and  massing  on  the  tufts  of  foliage.  Else- 
where the  fall  of  the  white  flakes  was  steady 
and  thick  as  the  advance  of  an  army  of 
soldiers.  No  other  resemblance  between  the 
two  things.  This  was  all  whiteness  and 
peace  and  hush  and  shelter  for  earth's  needs. 
Matilda  stood  at  the  study  window  and 
watched  it  come  down;  watched  the  two 
dark  figures  working  away  in  the  deep  snow 
to  clear  the  path ;  watched  to  see  the  shovel- 
fuls of  snow  flung  right  and  left  with  a  will, 
and  then  to  see  the  workers  stop  to  take 
breath,  and  lean  upon  their  shovels  and  talk. 
Norton  was  getting  to  know  Mr.  Richmond ; 
Matilda  was  glad  of  that.  Then  Mr.  Ul- 
shoeffer  rang  the  old  church  bell,  and  she  went 
to  make  herself  ready  for  church. 

The  storm  continued,  and  there  were  few 
people  out,  as  Norton  had  said.  In  the  after- 
noon the  Sunday  school  had  a  very  small 
number,  and  the  service  did  not  last  long. 
And  then  Matilda  sat  in  the  hush,  at  the 
study  window,  for  Mr.  Richmond  had  been 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  51 

called  out ;  and  thought  of  the  change  that 
had  fallen  on  her  life.  The  path  to  the 
church  was  getting  covered  up  again  even 
already.  Suddenly  some  one  came  behind 
her  and  laid  hands  on  her  shoulders,  and  Nor- 
ton's voice  demanded  what  she  was  doing  ? 

"  I  was  only  looking,  —  and  thinking." 

"  You're  always  at  one  or  the  other,"  said 
Norton,  giving  the  shoulders  a  little  shake. 
"  Both  is  too  much  at  once." 

"  O  Norton,  how  can  one  help  it  ?  It's  so 
grand,  to  think  that  God  is  so  rich  and  great, 
and  can  do  such  beautiful  things." 

"  What  now  ?  "  said  Norton. 

"  What  now  ?     Why,  the  snow." 

"Oh!"  said  Norton.  "I've  seen  snow 
before." 

"  But  it's  always  just  so  beautiful.  No, 
not  always,  for  it's  a  grand  storm  to-day. 
Just  see  how  it  comes  down.  It  is  getting 
dusk  already.  And  every  flake  of  it  is  just 
so  lovely  and  wonderful.  Mr.  Richmond 
shewed  me  some  on  his  hat  once.  I  am  so 


52  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

glad  to  know  that  God  made  it,  and  there  is 
no  end  to  the  beautiful  things  he  can  make. 
It's  covering  your  walk  up  again,  Norton." 

"  It's  very  queer  to  hear  you  talk,"  said 
Norton. 

"  Queer  ?  "  said  Matilda. 

"  It's  so  queer,  that  you  have  no  idea,  Pink, 
how  queer  it  is.  I  don't  know  what  you 
want." 

"  I  know  what  I  want,"  said  Matilda.  "  I 
want  to  know  more  of  God's  beautiful  work. 
Mr.  Richmond  says  the  earth  is  full  of  it; 
and  I  think  it  would  be  nice  to  be  seeing  it 
always  ;  but  I  know  so  little." 

"  You'll  learn,"  said  Norton.  "  I  wonder  if 
mamma  will  send  you  to  school,  Pink  ?  We 
must  get  home  to-morrow  !  We  have  staid 
a  terrible  long  time  at  the  parsonage." 


CHAPTER    III. 

"VT7HEN  Matilda  came  down  stairs  the 
next  morning  to  get  breakfast,  she 
found  Miss  Redwood  in  the  kitchen.  The 
fire  was  going,  the  kitchen  was  warm ;  Miss 
Redwood  was  preparing  some  potatoes  for 
baking. 

"  Good  morning ! "  said  she.  "  Here  I  am 
again.  It  does  seem  funny  to  be  washing 
the  potatoes  to  put  in  the  stove,  just  as  if 
folks  hadn't  been  sick  and  dying,  you  may 
say,  and  getting  well,  and  all  that,  since  I 
touched  'em  last.  Well !  life's  a  queer  thing ; 
and  it  don't  go  by  the  rule  of  three,  not  by  no 
means." 

"  What  rule  does  it  go  by  ?  "  said  Matilda, 
leaning  on  the  table  and  looking  up  at  the 
housekeeper. 


54 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 


"  La !  I  don't  know,"  said  Miss  Redwood. 
"  I  know  what  I've  been  workin'  by  all  these 
weeks,  pretty  much ;  I  kept  at  my  multipli- 
cation table;  but  I  couldn't  get  no  further 
most  days  than  the  very  beginning  — '  Once 
one  is  one.'  I  tried  hard  to  make  it  out  two  ; 
but  'twas  beyond  me.  I've  learned  that 
much,  anyhow." 

«  Didn't  Mrs.  Laval  help  ?  " 

"  She  helped  all  she  could,  poor  critter, 
till  she  was  'most  beat  out.  I  declare  I  was 
sorry  for  her,  next  to  the  sick  ones.  She  did 
all  she  could.  She  turned  in  to  cook  ;  and  she 
didn't  know  no  more  about  it  than  I  know 
about  talkin'  any  language  beside  my  own. 
Not  so  much ;  for  I  kin  tell  French  when  I 
hear  it ;  but  she  didn't  know  boiling  water." 

"  What  can  I  do  to  help  you,  Miss  Red- 
wood ?  "  Matilda  asked,  suddenly  remember- 
ing the  present. 

"  There  aint  nothin'  to  do,  child,  'cept  what 
I'm  doin'.  The  breakfast  table  is  sot.  I 
guess  you've  had  your  hands  full,  as  well  as 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 


55 


the  rest  of  us.  But  I  declare  you've  kept 
things  pretty  straight.  I  don't  let  the  butter 
set  in  the  pantry,  though  ;  it  goes  down  cellar 
when  I'm  to  home." 

"  That  kitchen  pantry  is  cold,  Miss  Red- 
wood." 

"  It's  too  cold,  child.  Butter  hadn't  ought 
to  be  where  it  kin  freeze,  or  get  freezing  hard  ; 
it  takes  the  sweetness  out  of  it.  You  didn't 
know  that.  And  the  broom  and  pan  I  left  at 
the  head  of  the  coal  stairs.  They  ain't  there 
now." 

Matilda  fetched  them. 

"  The  minister  said  you  kept  things  in 
train,  as  if  you'd  been  older,"  Miss  Redwood 
went  on.  "  I  was  always  askin' ;  and  he 
made  me  feel  pretty  comfortable.  He  said 
he  was." 

"  We  have  had  a  very  nice  time,  Miss  Red- 
wood. We  hadn't  the  least  trouble  about 
anything." 

"  Trouble  was  our  meat  and  drink  down 
yonder,"  said  Miss  Redwood.  "  I  thought 


56  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

two  o'  them  poor  furriners  would  surely  give 
up;  but  they  didn't;  and  it's  over  with. 
Praise  the  Lord !  And  I'm  as  glad  to  be 
home  again  as  if  I  had  found  a  fortin.  But 
I  was  glad  to  be  there,  too.  When  a  man  — 
or  a  woman — knows  she's  in  her  place,  she's 
just  in  the  pleasantest  spot  she  kin  get  to  ;  so 
I  think.  And  I  knew  I  was  in  my  place 
there.  But  dear,  Mrs.  Laval  thinks  your 
place  is  with  her  now  ;  so  she  bid  me  tell  you 
to  be  ready." 

«  When  ?  " 

"  Well,  some  time  along  in  the  morning 
she  will  send  the  carriage  to  bring  you,  she 
said." 

"  Has  Francis  come  back  ?  " 

«  Who's  Francis  ?  " 

"  I  meaa  the  coachman." 

"  I  don't  know  nobody's  names,"  said  Miss 
Redwood ;  "  'cept  the  men  I  took  care  of; 
and  I  guess  I  had  my  own  names  for  them. 
I  couldn't  pucker  my  mouth  to  call  them  after 
Mrs.  Laval." 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 


57 


"  Why,  what  did  you  call  them  ? "  said 
Matilda.  "  I  know  what  their  names  were ; 
they  were  Jules  and  Pierre  Failly.  What  did 
you  call  them  ?  " 

"  It  didn't  make  no  odds,"  said  Miss  Red- 
wood, "  so  long  as  they  knew  I  was  speaking 
to  'em ;  and  that  they  knew ;  'cause  when  I 
raised  one  man's  head  up,  he  knew  I  warn't 
speaking  to  the  other  man.  I  called  one  of 
'em  Johnson,  and  'tother  Peter.  It  did  just 
as  well.  I  dare  say  now,"  said  Miss  Redwood, 
with  a  bit  of  a  smile  on  her  face,  "  they 
thought  Johnson  meant  beef  tea,  and  Peter 
meant  a  spoonful  of  medicine.  It  did  just  as 
well.  Come,  dear ;  you  may  go  get  the 
coffee  canister  for  me ;  for  now  I'm  in  a 
hurry.  There  ain't  coffee  burned  for  break- 
fast." 

It  was  Matilda's  last  breakfast  at  the  par- 
sonage. .  She  could  have  been  sorry,  only 
that  she  was  so  glad.  After  breakfast  she 
had  her  bag  to  pack ;  and  a  little  later  the 
grey  ponies  trotted  round  the  sweep  and  drew 


58  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

up  at  the  door.  Matilda  had  watched  them 
turning  in  at  the  gate  and  coming  down  the 
lane,  stepping  so  gayly  to  the  sound  of  their 
bells ;  and  they  drew  a  dainty  light  sleigh 
covered  with  a  wealth  of  fine  buffalo  robes. 
The  children  bade  good  bye  to  Mr.  Rich- 
mond, and  jumped  in,  and  tucked  the  buf- 
falo robes  round  them  ;  the  ponies  shook 
their  heads  and  began  to  walk  round  the 
sweep  again ;  then  getting  into  the  straight 
line  of  the  lane,  away  they  went  with  a  merry 
pace,  making  the  snow  fly. 

It  seemed  to  Matilda  that  such  a  feeling 
of  luxury  had  never  come  over  her  as  she  felt 
then.  The  sleigh  was  so  easy;  the  seats 
were  so  roomy  ;  the  buffalo  robes  were  so  soft 
and  warm  and  elegant,  and  she  was  so  happy. 
Norton  pulled  one  of  the  robes  up  so  as 
almost  to  cover  her  ;  no  cold  could  get  at  her, 
for  her  feet  were  in  another.  Furs  over  and 
under  her,  she  had  nothing  to  do  but  1o  look 
and  be  whirled  along  over  the  smooth  snow 
to  the  tune  of  the  sleigh  bells.  It  was  charm- 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  59 

ing,  to  look  and  see  what  the  snow  had  done 
with  the  world.  Thick,  thick  mantles  of  it 
lay  upon  the  house  roofs ;  how  could  it  all 
stay  there  ?  The  trees  were  loaded,  bending 
their  heads  and  drooping  their  branches  under 
the  weight  which  was  almost  too  much  for 
them.  The  fences  had  a  pretty  dressing,  like 
the  thick  white  frosting  of  a  cake ;  the  fields 
and  gardens  and  roadway  lay  hidden  under 
the  soft  warm  carpet  that  was  spread  every- 
where. But  the  snow  clouds  were  all  gone  ; 
and  the  clearest  bright  blue  sky  looked  down 
through  the  white-laden  tree  branches. 

"  How  much  there  is  of  it ! "  said  Matilda. 

«  What  ?  "  said  Norton. 

"  Why,  I  mean  snow,  Norton." 

"  Oh  !  Yes  ;  there  is  apt  to  be  a  good  deal 
of  it,"  said  Norton,  "  when  it  falls  as  hard  as 
it  can  all  one  day  and  two  nights." 

"  But  .Norton,  to  think  that  all  that  snow  is 
just  those  elegant  little  star  feathers  piled  up ; 
all  over  the  fields  and  house  roofs,  a  foot  and 
a  half  thick,  it  is  all  those  feathery  stars  !  " 


60  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

"  Well,"  said  Norton ;  "  what  of  it  ?  " 

"  Why  it  is  wonderful,"  said  Matilda.  «  It 
almost  seems  like  a  waste,  doesn't  it  ?  only 
that  couldn't  be." 

"  A  waste  ?  "  said  Norton.  "  A  waste  of 
what  ?  " 

"  Why  nobody  sees,  or  thinks,  that  the 
street  is  covered  with  such  beautiful  things  — 
the  street  and  the  fields  and  the  houses ; 
people  only  think  it  is  snow,  and  that's 
all ;  when  it  is  just  little  wonders  of  beauty, 
of  a  great  many  sorts  too.  It  seems  very 
strange." 

"Only  to  you,"  said  Norton.  "It'll  be 
rich  to  shew  you  things." 

"  But  why  do  you  suppose  it  is  so,  Nor- 
ton ?  I  should  like  to  ask  Mr.  Richmond." 

"  Mr.  Richmond  couldn't  tell,"  said  Nor- 
ton. 

"  It  must  be  that  God  is  so  rich,"  Matilda 
went  on  reverently.  "  So  rich ! "  she  repeated, 
looking  at  the  piled-up  burden  of  snow  along 
the  house  roofs  of  the  street.  "But  then, 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  6 1 

Norton,  he  must  care  to  have  things  beau- 
tiful." 

"  Pink  !  "  exclaimed  Norton,  looking  at  his 
little  companion  with  an  air  half  of  amuse- 
ment and  half  of  something  like  vexation. 

"  Well,  don't  you  think  so  ?  Because 
nobody  sees  those  white  feathers  of  frost 
piled  up  there,  and  these  that  the  horses  are 
treading  under  feet.  They  do  nobody  any 
good." 

"  It  does  you  good  to  know  they  are  there," 
said  Norton. 

"  That's  true  ! "  exclaimed  Matilda.  "  O 
I'm  very  glad  to  know  about  them  ;  and  I 
am  very  glad  the  snow  is  so  wonderful ;  and 
I  am  glad  to  feel  that  God  is  so  rich,  and  that 
he  has  made  things  so  beautiful." 

There  was  something  in  this  speech  that 
jarred  upon  Norton  ;  something,  though  he 
could  not  have  told  what  it  was,  that  seemed 
to  separate  Matilda  from  him ;  there  was  a 
sweet,  innocent  kind  of  appropriation  which 
he  could  not  share ;  it  told  of  relations  in 


62  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

which  Matilda  stood  and  to  which  he  was 
a  stranger.  Norton  liked  nothing  that  seemed 
like  division  between  them ;  but  he  did  not 
find  anything  just  then  to  say,  and  remained 
silent;  while  Matilda  rode  along  in  a  kind 
of  glorious  vision  that  was  half  heavenly  and 
half  earthly.  That  was  this  snowy  morning 
to  her.  Covered  up  warm  in  the  furs  of  the 
sleigh,  she  leaned  back  and  used  her  eyes ; 
rejoicing  in  the  white  brilliance  of  the  earth 
and  the  sunny  blue  of  the  heaven,  and  find- 
ing strange  food  for  joy  in  them ;  or  what 
appears  strange  to  those  who  do  not  know  it. 
The  sleigh  rushed  along,  past  houses  and 
shops  and  the  familiar  signs  hung  out  along 
the  street ;  then  reaching  the  corner,  whirled 
round  to  the  left.  Matilda's  home,  until  now, 
had  always  lain  the  other  way.  She  turned 
her  head  and  looked  back,  up  the  street. 

"  What  is  it?  "  Norton  asked. 

"  Nothing  —  except  that  I  am  so  glad  not 
to  be  going  that  way." 

"  No,"  said  Norton.  "  Not  that  way  any 
more.  We  have  got  you,  Pink." 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  63 

"  I  don't  understand  it,"  said  Matilda.  « It 
makes  me  dizzy  when  I  think  of  it." 

"  Here  we  are ! "  cried  Norton,  as  the 
horses  wheeled  in  through  the  iron  gate. 
"  It's  all  snow,  Pink ;  it  will  be  too  late  to 
plant  our  tulips  and  hyacinths." 

But  even  that  was  forgotten,  as  the  sleigh 
stopped,  and  Norton  helped  Matilda  out  from 
under  the  furs,  and  she  realized  that  she  had 
come  home.  Home ;  yes,  when  her  feet 
stepped  upon  the  marble  pavement  of  the 
hall  she  said  to  herself  that  this  was  home.  It 
was  very  strange.  But  Mrs.  Laval's  warm 
arms  were  not  strange;  they  were  easy  to 
understand;  she  would  hardly  let  Matilda 
out  of  them,  and  kissed  her  and  kissed  her. 
The  kisses  were  instead  of  words ;  they  said 
that  Matilda  had  come  home. 

"  Run  up  now,  dear,  to  your  room,"  she  said 
at  last,  "and  get  your  wraps  off.  I  have 
somebody  here  to  see  me  on  business ;  but 
I  will  come  to  you  by  and  by." 

Dismissed  with  more  kisses,  Matilda  went 


64  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

up  the  stairs  like  one  in  a  dream.  Sharp  and 
snowy  as  the  world  was  without,  here,  inside 
the  hall  door,  it  was  an  atmosphere  of  sum- 
mer. Soft  warm  air  was  around  her  as  she 
mounted  the  stairs;  in  Mrs.  Laval's  room  a 
wood  fire  was  burning ;  in  her  own,  oh  joy ! 
there  was  a  little  coal  fire  in  the  grate ;  all 
bright  and  blazing.  Matilda  slowly  drew  off 
her  things  and  looked  around  her.  The  pretty 
green  furniture  with  the  rosebuds  painted 
on  it,  this  was  her  own  now ;  a  warm  car- 
pet covered  the  mat;  the  bed  with  its  luxu- 
rious belongings  was  something  she  had  not 
now  to  say  good  bye  to;  the  time  of  parting 
had  not  come  after  all ;  would  never  come, 
as  long  as  she  lived.  Slowly  Matilda  pulled 
off  hood  and  gloves  and  moccasins,  and  went 
to  the  window.  It  was  her  own  window! 
The  hills  and  the  country  in  view  from  it  were 
hers  to  look  at  whenever  she  pleased.  Mrs. 
Candy's  bell  could  not  sound  there  to  break 
in  upon  anything.  The  child  was  so  happy 
that  she  was  almost  afraid ;  it  seemed  too 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  65 

good  to  be  really  true  and  lasting.  Gradu- 
ally, as  she  stood  there  by  the  window,  look- 
ing at  what  seemed  to  her  "  the  treasures  of 
the  snow,"  it  came  to  her  mind  what  she  had 
been  thinking  about  that;  the  myriads  of 
wonderfully  fashioned,  exquisite  crystal  stars, 
for  every  one  of  which  God  took  care.  Then 
she  remembered,  "  the  hairs  of  your  head  are 
all  numbered ; "  and  if  so,  of  course  no  event 
that  happened  to  any  of  God's  children  could 
be  without  meaning  or  carelessly  sent.  And 
also,  if  he  was  so  rich  in  the  beauty  and  per- 
fectness  of  the  snow  supply  for  the  earth,  he 
was  rich  toward  his  children  too,  and  would 
and  could  give  them  what  were  the  best 
things  for  them.  But  then  came  the  ques- 
tion ;  if  he  had  brought  a  child  like  her  into 
these  new  circumstances,  into  such  a  new 
home,  what  did  he  mean  her  to  do  with  it? 
what  use. should  she  make  of  it?  what  effect 
was  it  intended  to  have  upon  her  and  upon 
her  life  ?  This  seemed  a  very  great  question 
to  Matilda.  She  softly  shut  her  door  and 
5 


66  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

took  out  her  Bible  and  kneeled  down  beside 
it.  She  would  study  and  pray  till  she  found 
out. 

'  It  happened  well  that  Mrs.  Laval's  man  of 
business  kept  her  a  good  while.  All  that 
while  Matilda  kept  up  her  study  and  search. 
Nevertheless  she  was  puzzled.  It  was  a 
question  too  large  for  her.  All  she  could 
make  out  amounted  to  this ;  that  she  must 
be  careful  not  to  forget  whose  child  she  was ; 
that  before  Mrs.  Laval  she  owed  love  and 
obedience  to  her  Saviour ;  that  she  must  be 
on  the  watch  for  opportunities ;  and  not 
allow  her  new  circumstances  to  distract  or 
divert  her  from  them  or  make  her  unfitted 
for  them  when  they  came. 

"  I  think  I  must  watch,"  was  Matilda's 
conclusion.  "  I  might  forget.  Norton  will 
want  me  to  do  things,  —  and  Mrs.  Laval  will 
want  me  to  do  other  things,  —  perhaps  other 
people  yet.  If  I  keep  to  Mr.  Richmond's 
rule  —  '  Whether  ye  eat  or  drink,  or  whatso- 
ever ye  do,  do  all  to  the  Lord  Jesus,'  —  I 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  67 

shall  be  sure  to  be  right;  and  He  will  teach 
me." 

Some  very  earnest  prayer  ended  in  this 
conclusion.  Then  the  question  came  up  in 
Matilda's  mind,  what  opportunities  were 
likely  to  spring  out  of  her  new,  changed  cir- 
cumstances? She  could  not  tell;  she  found 
she  could  do  nothing  with  that  question ; 
she  could  only  leave  it,  and  watch,  and  wait. 

She  opened  her  door  then,  to  be  ready  for 
Mrs.'  Laval's  coming ;  and  presently  the  soft 
step  and  gentle  rustle  of  drapery  reminded 
Matilda  anewr  that  she  had  done  for  ever 
with  Mrs.  Candy's  plump  footfall  and  buck- 
ram skirts. 

"  My  darling,"  said  Mrs.  Laval,  "  you  have 
been  all  this  time  alone ! "  She  took  Matilda 
in  her  arms  and  sat  down  with  her,  looking 
at  her  as  one  examines  a  new,  precious  pos- 
session. 

"  You  'smile,  as  if  being  alone  was  nothing 
very  dreadful,"  she  went  on. 

"  I  don't  think  it  is,"  said  Matilda. 


68  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

"  I  do !  But  you  and  I  will  not  be  alone 
any  more,  darling,  will  we  ?  Norton  is  a  boy  ; 
he  must  go  and  come ;  but  you  are  my  own 
—  my  little  daughter !  —  yes,  now  and  al- 
ways." 

She  clasped  Matilda  in  her  arms  and 
kissed  her  with  lips  that  trembled  very  much ; 
trembled  so  much  that  Matilda  was  afraid 
she  would  break  into  a  passion  of  tears 
again ;  but  that  was  restrained.  After  a 
little  she  sat  back,  and  stroking  Matilda's 
hair  from  her  brow,  asked  softly, — 

"  And  what  do  you  say  to  it,  Matilda  ?  " 

Matilda  tried  to  find  words  and  could  not ; 
trembled ;  was  very  near  crying  for  her  own 
part ;  finally  answered  in  the  only  way.  In 
her  turn  she  threw  her  arms  round  Mrs.  La- 
val's neck ;  in  her  turn  kissed  cheeks  and 
lips,  giving  herself  up  for  the  first  time  to  the 
feeling  of  the  new  relationship  between  them. 
The  lady  did  not  let  her  go,  but  sat  still  with 
her  arms  locked  around  Matilda  and  Matil- 
da's head  in  her  neck  and  both  of  them 
motionless,  for  a  good  while. 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  69 

"  Will  you  call  me  mamma,  some  day  ?  " 
she  whispered.  "  Not  now ;  —  when  you  feel 
like  it.  I  do  not  ask  it  till  you  feel  like  it." 

"  Yes,"  —  Matilda  whispered  in  answer. 

Presently  Mrs.  Laval  began  to  tell  her 
about  the  ship  fever,  and  the  nursing,  and 
Miss  Redwood ;  and  how  she  arid  Miss  Red- 
wood had  been  alone  with  everything  to  do. 
Then  she  wanted  to  hear  how  Matilda  had 
spent  the  weeks  at  the  parsonage ;  and  she 
was  very  much  amused. 

"  I  believe  I'll  get  you  to  teach  me  some 
day,"  she  said.  "  It's  bad  to  be  so  helpless. 
But  I  have  learned  something  in  these  weeks. 
Now,  darling,  is  there  anything  you  would 
like,  that  I  can  give  you?  anything  that 
would  be  a  pleasure  to  you .1  Speak  and  tell 
me,  before  we  go  down  to  lunch." 

The  colour  started  into  Matilda's  face. 

«  If  I  could,"  she  said,  —  "  I  would  like,  if 
you  liked  it,  —  if  Norton  could  go  with  me 
again,  —  I  would  like  very  much,  to  go  and 
see  Maria." 


70  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

«  Maria ! "  said  Mrs.  Laval.  "  At  Pough- 
keepsie.  Certainly.  You  shall  go  —  let  me 
see,  this  is  Monday, —  Norton  shall  take  you 
Thursday.  You  must  try  and  find  some- 
thing to  take  to  Maria  that  she  would  like. 
What  would  she  like?" 

Mrs.  Laval  was  drawing  out  her  purse. 
Matilda,  in  a  flush  of  delight,  could  not 
think  what  Maria  would  like ;  so  Mrs.  Laval 
gave  her  five  dollars  and  bade  her  come  to 
her  for  more  if  she  needed  it. 

*Five  dollars  to  buy  Maria  a  present !  Ma- 
tilda went  down  to  luncheon  with  her  head 
and  her  heart  so  full  that  she  could  hardly 
eat  What  should  the  present  be  ?  and  what 
a  beginning  of  beautiful  and  delightful  things 
was  this.  She  was  as  still  as  a  mouse,  and 
eat  about  as  much.  Mrs.  Laval  and  Norton 
were  full  of  business. 

"  How  soon  do  we  go  to  town,  mamma  ?  " 
"  As  soon  as  possible !     You  ought  to  be 
going  to  school.      But  —  what  day  is  it  to- 
day?" 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  71 

"  Monday,  mamma." 

"  No,  no ;  I  mean  what  day  of  the  month. 
It  is  the  middle  of  November,  and  past.  I 
can't  go  till  the  beginning  of  next  month." 

"  Soon  enough,"  said  Norton.  "  Mamma, 
is  Pink  to  go  to  school  ?  " 

Mrs.  Laval  looked  at  Matilda,  smiled,  but 
made  no  answer. 

"  Mamma,  let  me  teach  her." 

"  You  ?  "  said  Mrs.  Laval.     "  We  will  see." 

"  There's  another  thing.  Mamma,  is  she 
to  have  an  allowance  ?  " 

"  Certainly." 

"  How  much,  mamma  ?  " 

"  As  much  as  you  have." 

"  Then  she'll  be  rich,"  said  Norton.  "  She 
hasn't  got  boots  to  buy.  My  boots  eat  up 
my  money." 

"  I  am  afraid  Matilda's  boots  will  be  quite 
as  troublesome  to  her.  Don't  you  think  she 
will  want  boots  ?  " 

"  Girls'  boots  don't  cost  so  much,  do 
they  ?  " 


72  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

"  It  depends  on  where  you  get  them." 

"  Mamma,  Pink  will  not  get  her  boots 
where  you  get  yours,  unless  you  give  her  the 
direction  very  carefully.  She  will  think  she 
must  save  the  money  for  Lilac  lane.  You 
must  take  care  of  her,  mamma ;  or  she  will 
think  she  ought  to  take  a  whole  district  on 
her  hands,  and  a  special  block  of  old 
women." 

Mrs.  Laval  again  looked  fondly  at  Matilda, 
and  put  a  delicate  bit  on  her  plate,  observing 
that  she  was  not  eating  anything. 

"  You  are  to  take  her  to  Poughkeepsie 
Thursday,  Norton,  to  see  her  sister." 

"  That's  jolly,"  said  Norton.  "  I  want  to 
be  in  Poughkeepsie,  to  see  about  some  busi- 
ness of  my  own.  We'll  go  to  Blodgett's, 
Pink,  and  choose  the  hyacinths  and  tulips  for 
our  beds." 

"  You  had  a  great  deal  better  go  to  Vick, 
at  Rochester,"  said  Mrs.  Laval.  "  You  can 
depend  upon  what  he  gives  you.  I  have  not 
found  Blodgett  so  careful." 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  73 

"  I  should  like  to  go  to  Mr.  Vick's  very 
much ;  but  Rochester  is  rather  too  far  oft','' 
said  Norton. 

"  You  can  write,  you  foolish  boy." 

"  Well,"  said  Norton,  "  I  believe  that  will 
be  best.  We  cannot  put  the  bulbs  in  now, 
unless  we  have  a  great  stroke  of  good  luck 
and  there  comes  a  soft  bit  of  weather.  I'll 
write  to  Vick.  But  we'll  go  to  Blodgett's 
and  get  a  few  just  for  house  blooming. 
Wouldn't  you  like  that,  Pink? 

Matilda  liked  it  so  much  that  she  found  no 
words  to  express  herself.  Norton  and  his 
mother  both  laughed  at  her. 

After  dinner  Mrs.  Laval  went  with  Matilda 
up  to  her  room,  and  looked  over  her  whole 
wardrobe.  Most  of  the  things  which  be- 
longed to  it  Mrs.  Laval  threw  aside ;  Ma- 
tilda's old  calico  dresses  and  several  of  the 
others ;  and  her  old  stockings  and  pocket 
handkerchiefs ;  and  told  Matilda  she  might 
give  them  away.  New  linen,  she  said,  Ma- 
tilda should  have,  as  soon  as  she  could  get  it 


74  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

made ;  meanwhile  some  new  things  were 
provided  already.  She  bade  Matilda  take  a 
bath ;  and  then  she  had  her  own  maid  come 
in  to  arrange  her  hair  and  dress  her.  There 
was  not  much  to  be  done  with  Matilda's 
hair ;  it  was  in  short  wavy  locks  all  over  her 
head ;  but  the  maid  brushed  it  till  Matilda 
thought  she  would  never  have  done ;  and 
then  she  was  dressed  in  a  new  dark  brown 
merino,  made  short,  and  bound  with  a  wide 
ribband  sash ;  and  new  stockings  were  put 
on  her  that  were  gartered  above  her  knees ; 
and  Matilda  felt  at  once  very  nice  and  very 
funny.  But  when  it  was  done,  Mrs.  Laval 
took  her  in  her  arms  and  half  smothered  her 
with  caresses. 

"  We  will  get  everything  put  in  order,  as 
soon  as  we  get  to  New  York,"  she  said  ;  "  my 
rosebud !  my  pink,  as  Norton  calls  you ;  my 
Daphne  blossom ! " 

"  What  is  that,  ma'am  ? "  said  Matilda 
laughing. 

"  Daphne  ?  you  shall  have  a  plant  of  it,  and 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  75 

then  you  will  know.  It  is  something  very 
sweet,  and  yet  very  modest.  It  never  calls 
people  to  come  and  look  at  it." 

She  had  Matilda  on  her  lap ;  and  she 
stroked  her  hair,  patting  it  back  from  her 
brow ;  took  her  face  in  both  hands  and  looked 
at  it  and  kissed  it ;  played  with  her  hands ; 
passed  her  fingers  over  the  new  stockings  to 
see  how  they  fitted  ;  tried  the  garters  to  see  if 
they  were  too  tight ;  Matilda  felt  the  touch  of 
motherly  hands  again,  like  no  other  hands. 
It  filled  her  with  a  warm  gladness  and  sor- 
row, both  together  ;  but  it  bound  her  to  Mrs. 
Laval.  She  threw  both  arms  at  last  around 
her  neck,  and  they  sat  so,  wrapped  up  in  each 
other. 

"  You  must  go  and  call  upon  your  aunt, 
Matilda,"  Mrs.  Laval  said  after  a  long  si- 
lence. 

"Must  I?  I  suppose  I  must,"  said  Ma- 
tilda. 

"  Certainly.  And  the  sooner  you  do  it,  the 
more  graceful  it  will  be.  I  have  been  to  see 


76  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

her.     So  it  is  only  necessary  for  you.     It  is  a 
proper  mark  of  respect." 

"  I  will  go  to-morrow ;  shall  I  ?  " 
"  Yes ;  go  to-morrow.  Now  Norton  spoke 
about  an  allowance.  Would  you  like  it  ?  " 
"  I  don't  know  what  it  is,  ma'am." 
"  I  give  Norton,  that  is,  I  allow  him,  five 
dollars  a  month ;  fifteen  dollars  a  quarter. 
Out  of  that  he  must  provide  himself  with 
boots  and  shoes  and  gloves ;  the  rest  is  for 
whatever  he  wants,  fish-hooks  or  hyacinths, 
as  the  case  may  be.  I  shall  give  you  the 
same,  Matilda ;  five  dollars  every  month. 
Then  I  shall  expect  you  to  be  always  nicely 
and  properly  dressed,  in  the  matter  of  boots 
and  shoes  and  gloves,  without  my  attending 
to  it.  You  are  young  to  be  charged  with  so 
much  care  of  your  dress,  but  I  can  trust  you. 
With  what  is  left  of  your  allowance  you  will 
do  whatever  you  like ;  nobody  will  ask  any 
questions  about  it.  Do  you  like  that,  my 
dear  ?  " 

"  Very  much,  ma'am." 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 


77 


"  I  thought  so,"  said  Mrs.  Laval  smiling. 
"  Now  I  want  you  to  go  with  me  and  get 
something  to  put  on  your  head.  I  have  had 
a  pelisse  made  for  you  that  will  do  till  we  go 
to  the  city  and  can  find  something  better. 
This  can  be  then  for  second  best.  Put  it  on, 
dear,  and  be  ready ;  the  carriage  will  be  at 
the  door  in  a  moment  now." 

Wondering,  Matilda  put  on  the  pelisse. 
She  had  never  had  anything  so  nice  in  her 
life.  It  was  of  some  thick,  pretty,  silver-grey 
cloth,  lined  and  wadded,  and  delicately 
trimmed  with  silk.  Then  she  went  off  with 
Mrs.  Laval  in  the  carriage,  and  was  fitted 
with  a  warm  little  hat.  Coming  home 
towards  evening,  at  the  close  of  this  eventful 
day,  Matilda  felt  as  if  she  hardly  knew  her- 
self. To  lay  off  her  coat  and  hat  in  such  a 
warm,  cheery  little  room,  where  the  fire  in 
the  grate  bade  her  such  a  kind  welcome ;  to 
come  down  to  the  drawing-room,  where 
another  fire  shone  and  glowed  on  thick  rugs 
and  warm-coloured  carpets  and  soft  cushions 


78  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

and  elegant  furniture  ;  and  to  know  that  she 
was  at  home  amid  all  these  things  and  com- 
forts ;  it  was  bewildering.  She  sat  down  on 
a  low  cushion  on  the  rug,  and  tried  to  collect 
her  wits.  What  was  it,  she  had  resolved  to 
do  ?  —  to  watch  for  duty,  and  to  do  every- 
thing to  the  Lord  Jesus?  Then,  so  should 
her  enjoyment  of  all  this  be.  But  Matilda 
felt  as  if  she  were  taken  off  her  feet.  So  she 
went  to  praying,  for  she  could  not  think. 
She  had  only  two  minutes  for  that,  before 
Norton  rushed  in  and  came  to  her  side  with 
Vick's  Catalogue ;  and  the  whole  rest  of  the 
evening  was  one  delicious  whirl  through  the 
wonders  of  a  flower  garden,  and  the  beauties 
of  various  coloured  hyacinths  and  tulips  in 
particular. 

The  next  day  Matilda  had  two  great  mat- 
ters on  her  heart ;  the  present  for  Maria,  and 
the  visit  to  her  aunt.  She  resolved  to  do  the 
disagreeable  business  first.  So  she  marched 
off  to  Mrs.  Candy's  in  the  middle  of  the 
morning,  when  she  knew  they  were  at  lei- 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 


79 


sure ;  and  was  ordered  up  into  her  aunt's 
room,  where  she  and  Clarissa  were  at  work 
after  the  old  fashion.  The  room  had  a  dis- 
mal, oppressive  air  to  Matilda's  refreshed 
vision.  Her  aunt  and  cousin  received  each  a 
kiss  from  her,  rather  than  gave  it. 

"Well,  Matilda,"  said  Mrs.  Candy,  « how 
do  you  do  ?  " 

This,  Matilda  knew,  was  an  introduction 
to  something  following.  The  answer  was  a 
matter  of  form. 

"  You've  changed  hands ;  how  do  you  like 
it?"  Mrs.  Candy  went  on. 

It  would  seem  ungracious  to  say  she  liked 
it;  so  Matilda  said  nothing. 

"  I  suppose  things  are  somewhat  different 
at  Mrs.  Laval's  from  what  you  found  them 
here  ?  " 

"  Yes,  ma'am  ;  they  are  different." 

"  Have  Mrs.  Laval's  servants  got  quite 
well  ?  " 

"  Yes,  ma'am,  quite  well." 

"  How  many  of  them  are  there  ?  " 


8o  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

"  There  are  the  mother  and  father,  and 
two  daughters,  and  the  brother  of  the  father, 
I  believe." 

"  And  does  Mrs.  Laval  keep  other  servants 
beside  those  ?  " 

"  O  yes.  Those  are  the  farm  servants, 
partly.  But  one  of  them  cooks,  and  one  of 
the  daughters  is  laundry  maid ;  and  the  other 
is  the  dairy  woman." 

"  And  how  many  more  ?  "  asked  Clarissa. 

"  There  are  the  waiter  and  coachman,  you 
know ;  and  the  chambermaid ;  and  Mrs. 
Laval's  own  maid,  and  the  sempstress." 

"  A  sempstress  constantly  on  hand  ?  "  said 
Mrs.  Candy. 

"  I  believe  so.  I  have  always  seen  her 
there.  She  seems  to  belong  there." 

"  Well,  you  find  some  difference  between 
a  house  with  a  dozen  servants,  and  one 
where  they  keep  only  one,  don't  you?" 

"  It  is  different — "  said  Matilda,  not  know- 
ing how  to  answer. 

"  What  do  yon  do,  in  that  house  with  a 
dozen  servants  ?  " 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  8 1 

"  I  don't  know,  ma'am ;  I  haven't  done 
anything  yet." 

"  How  did  you  get  among  the  sick  people 
in  the  first  place?  how  came  that?  It  was 
very  careless ! " 

"  Nobody  knew  what  was  the  matter  with 
them,  aunt  Candy.  Mrs.  Laval  was  gone  to 
town,  and  I  went  to  take  some  beef  tea  that 
the  doctor  had  ordered." 

«  Doctor  Bird  ?  "  • 

«  Yes." 

"  Doctor  Bird  ought  to  have  known  better. 
He  ought  to  have  taken  better  care,"  said 
Clarissa. 

"  It  is  easy  to  say  that  afterwards,"  re- 
marked Mrs.  Candy.  "  How  came  Mrs. 
Laval  not  to  be  there  herself?  " 

"  She  was  there.  She  was  only  gone  to 
New  York  to  get  help;  for  all  the  servants 
had  run  away." 

"  Then  they  knew  what  was  the  matter," 
said  Clarissa. 

"I    don't    know,"    said    Matilda.       They 


82  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

seemed  frightened  or  jealous.  They  all 
went  off." 

"  Like  them,"  said  Mrs.  Candy.  "  Who  did 
the  nursing  at  last  ?  " 

"  Mrs.  Laval  and  Miss  Redwood." 

"  Who  is  Miss  Redwood  ?  " 

"  She  keeps  house  for  Mr.  Richmond." 

A  perceptible  shadow  darkened  the  faces 
of  both  mother  and  daughter.  Matilda 
Wished  herself  away ;  but  she  could  not  end 
her  visit  while  it  was  yet  so  short ;  that 
would  not  do. 

"  And  so  you  have  been  wasting  six  weeks 
at  the  parsonage,  —  doing  absolutely  noth- 
ing!" 

It  had  not  been  precisely  that.  But  Ma- 
tilda thought  it  was  best  to  be  silent. 

"  It  seems  to  me  you  are  not  improving  in 
politeness,"  Mrs.  Candy  remarked.  "  How- 
ever, that  is  somebody  else's  affair  now. 
Are  you  going  to  school  ?  " 

"  Not  yet,  ma'am." 

"  When  are  you  going  to  begin  ?  " 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  83 

"  I  do  not  know.  Not  till  we  get  to  New 
York,  I  think." 

"  To  New  York !  Then  you  are  going  to 
New  York  ?  " 

"  How  soon  ?  "  Clarissa  inquired. 

"  Not  till  next  month." 

"  That  is  almost  here,"  said  Mrs.  Candy. 
"  Well,  it  would  have  been  a  great  deal  bet- 
ter for  you  to  have  remained  here  with  me ; 
but  I  am  clear  of  the  responsibility,  that  is 
one  thing.  If  there  is  one  thing  more  thank- 
less than  another,  it  is  to  have  anything  to 
do  with  children  that  are  not  your  own. 
You  know  how  to  darn  stockings,  at  any 
rate,  Matilda ;  I  have  taught  you  that." 

"  And  to  mend  lace,"  Clarissa  added. 

"  Matilda  may  find  the  good  of  that  yet. 
She  may  have  to  earn  her  bread  with  doing 
it.  Nothing  is  more  likely." 

"  I  hope  not,"  said  Clarissa. 

"  It  is  an  absurd  arrangement  anyhow," 
Mrs.  Candy  went  on.  "  Matilda  at  Mrs. 
Laval's,  and  Anne  and  Letitia  earning  their 


84  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

bread  with  something  not  a  bit  better  than 
mending  lace.  They  will  not  like  it  very 
well." 

«  Why  not,  aunt  Candy  ?  "  Matilda  asked. 

"  Wait  and  see  if  they  do.  Will  they  like 
it,  do  you  think,  to  see  that  you  do  not  belong 
to  them  any  more  and  are  part  and  parcel  of 
quite  another  family  ?  Will  they  like  it,  that 
your  business  will  be  to  forget  them  now? 
See  if  they  like  it !  " 

"Why  I  shall  not  forget  them  at  all!" 
cried  Matilda ;  "  how  could  I  ?  and  what 
makes  you  say  so  ?  " 

"  You  are  beginning  by  forgetting  your 
mother,"  said  Mrs.  Candy,  with  a  significant 
glance  at  the  silver-grey  pelisse. 

"  Yes,"  said  Clarissa,  "  I  noticed  the  min- 
ute she  came  in.  How  could  Mrs.  Laval 
do  so!" 

k'  What  ?  "  said  Matilda.  "  That  isn't  true 
at  all,  aunt  Candy." 

"  I  see  the  signs,"  said  Mrs.  Candy. 
"  There  is  no  need  to  tell  me  what  they 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  85 

mean.  In  this  country  it  is  considered  a 
mark  of  respect  and  a  sign  that  we  do  not 
forget  our  friends,  to  wear  a  dress  of  remem- 
brance." 

"  It  reminds  us  of  them,  too,"  said  Clarissa. 
"  And  we  like  to  be  reminded  of  those  we 
love." 

"  I  do  not  want  anything  to  remind  me 
of  7*er,"  said  Matilda;  and  the  little  set  of 
her  head  at  the  moment  spoke  volumes. 
"  And  besides,  aunt  Candy  and  Clarissa,  I 
did  not  wear  mourning  when  I  was  here, 
except  only  when  I  went  to  church." 

"That  shewed  the  respect,"  said  Mrs. 
Candy.  "  You  can  see  easily  what  Mrs. 
Laval  means,  by  her  dressing  you  out  in 
that  style.  Have  you  got  a  black  dress 
under  your  coat  ?  " 

"  Let  us  see  what  you  have  got,"  said 
Clarissa. 

As  Matilda  did  not  move,  Mrs.  Candy  rose 
and  went  to  her  and  lifted  up  the  folds  of 
her  pelisse  so  as  to  show  the  brown  merino. 


86  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

"  I  thought  so,"  she  remarked,  as  she  went 
back  to  her  seat. 

«  Mrs.  Laval  ought  to  be  ashamed !  "  said 
her  daughter. 

Matilda  had  got  by  this  time  about  as 
much  as  she  could  bear.  She  rose  up  from 
her  uneasy  chair  opposite  Mrs.  Candy. 

"  O,  are  you  going  ?  "  said  that  lady.  "  You 
do  not  care  to  stay  long  with  us." 

"  Not  to-day,"  said  little  Matilda,  with  more 
dignity  than  she  knew,  and  with  an  air  of 
the  head  and  shoulders  that  very  much  irri- 
tated Mrs.  Candy. 

" I'd  cure  you  of  that"  she  said,  " if  I  had 
you.  I  thought  I  had  cured  you.  You  would 
not  dare  hold  your  head  like  that,  if  you  were 
living  with  me." 

Now  Matilda  had  not  the  least  knowledge 
that  her  head  was  held  differently  from  usual. 
She  said  good  bye. 

"  Are  you  not  going  to  kiss  me  ?  "  said  her 
aunt.  «  You  are  forgetting  fast." 

It  cost  an  effort,  but   Matilda  offered  her 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  87 

cheek  to  Mrs.  Candy  and  to  Clarissa,  and 
left  them.  She  ran  down  the  stairs  and  out 
of  the  house.  At  the  little  gate  she  stood 
still. 

What  did  it  all  mean?  Forgetting  her 
mother  ?  Had  she  done  her  memory  an  in- 
jury, by  putting  on  her  brown  frock  and 
her  grey  pelisse?  Was  there  any  truth  in 
all  this  flood  of  disagreeable  words,  which 
seemed  to  have  flowed  over  and  half  drowned 
her.  Ought  her  dress  to  be  black  ?  It  had 
not  been  when  she  lived  with  her  aunt,  ex- 
cept on  particular  days  and  out  of  doors,  as 
she  had  said.  Was  there  any  truth  in  all 
these  charges?  Matilda's  heart  had  suddenly 
lost  all  its  gayety,  and  the  struggle  in  her 
thoughts  was  growing  more  and  more  unen- 
durable every  moment  A  confusion  of 
doubts,  questions,  suspicions  which  she  could 
not  at  once  see  clearly  enough  to  cast  off, 
and  sorrow,  raged  and  fought  in  her  mind 
with  indignant  rejection  and  disbelief  of 
them.  What  should  she  do  ?  How  could 


88  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

she  tell  what  was  right?  Mr.  Richmond! 
She  would  go  straight  to  him. 

And  so  she  did,  hurrying  along  Butternut 
street  like  a  little  vessel  in  a  gale  ;  and  she 
was  just  that,  only  the  gale  was  in  her  own 
mind.  It  drove  her  on,  and  she  rushed  into 
the  parsonage,  excited  by  her  own  quick 
movements  as  well  as  by  her  thoughts.  Miss 
Redwood  was  busy  in  the  kitchen. 

"  What's  the  matter  ?  "  she  exclaimed,  for 
Matilda  had  gone  in  that  way. 

"  I  want  to  see  Mr.  Richmond." 

"  Well,  he's  in  there.  La !  child,  we  keep 
open  doors  at  the  parsonage ;  there  ain't  no 
need  that  you  should  break  'em  in  by  running 
against  'em.  Take  it  easy,  whatever  there  is 
to  take.  The  minister's  in  his  study.  But 
his  dinner'll  be  ready  in  a  quarter  of  an  hour, 
tell  him." 

Matilda  went  more  quietly  and  knocked  at 
the  study  door.  She  heard  "  Come  in." 

"  Mr.  Richmond,  are  you  busy  ? "  she 
asked,  standing  still  inside  of  the  study  door. 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  89 

"  Shall  I  disturb  you  ? "  She  was  quiet 
enough  now.  But  the  tears  were  shining  in 
Matilda's  eyes,  and  the  eyes  themselves  were 
eager. 

"  Come  here,"  said  Mr.  Richmond  holding 
out  his  hand  ;  "  I  am  not  too  busy,  and  your 
disturbing  me  is  very  welcome.  How  do 
you  do?" 

Matilda's  answer  was  to  clasp  Mr.  Rich- 
mond's hand  and  cover  her  face. 

"  What  is  the  matter  ?  "  he  asked  softly, 
though  a  little  startled.  "  Nothing  that  we 
cannot  set  right,  Tilly  ?  " 

He  drew  his  arm  protectingly  round  her, 
and  Matilda  presently  looked  up.  "  O  Mr. 
Richmond,"  she  said,  "  I  don't  know  if  any- 
thing is  wrong ;  but  I  want  to  know." 

"Well,  we  can  find  out.  What  is  the 
question  ?  " 

"  Mr.  Richmond,  the  question  is,  Ought  I 
to  wear  black  things  for  mamma  ?  " 

The  minister  was  much  surprised. 

"  What  put  this  in  your  head,  Tilly  ?  " 


9o 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 


«  Mrs.  Laval  gave  me  some  new  dresses 
yesterday;  these,  you  see,  Mr.  Richmond; 
the  frock  is  dark  brown  and  the  coat  is  grey. 
Ought  they  to  be  black  ?  " 

«  Why  should  they  be  black  ?  " 

"  I  don]t  know,  sir.  People  do  wear  black 
things  when  they  have  lost  friends." 

"  What  for  do  they  so  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know,  Mr.  Richmond  ;  but  people 
say  it  shews  respect  —  and  that  I  do  not 
shew"  — 

"  Let  us  look  at  it  quietly,"  said  her  friend. 
"  How  does  it  shew  respect  to  a  lost  friend,  to 
put  on  a  peculiar  dress?  " 

"  I  don't  know,  sir  ;  because  it's  the  custom, 
I  suppose.  But  I  am  not  in  black.  Ought  I 
to  be  ? " 

"  Wait ;  we  will  come  to  it.  Black  dresses 
are  supposed  to  be  a  sign  of  grief,  are  they 
not?" 

"  I  don't  know,  Mr.  Richmond  ;  they  said, 
of  respect,  and  to  put  one  in  mind." 

"  The  grief  that  wants  putting  in  mind,  is 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  91 

not  a  grief  that  pays  much  real  respect,  I 
should  think.  Do  not  you  think  so  ?  that's 
one  thing." 

Matilda  looked  at  him,  with  eyes  intent 
and  pitifully  full  of  tears,  just  ready  to  run 
over,  but  eagerly  watching  his  lips. 

"  Then  as  to  respect,  black  dresses  must 
shew  respect,  if  any  way,  by  saying  to  the 
world  that  we  remember  and  are  sorry.  Now 
the  fact  is,  Matilda,  they  do  not  say  that  at 
all.  They  are  worn  quite  as  much  by  people 
who  do  not  remember,  and  who  are  not  sorry. 
They  tell  nothing  about  the  truth,  except  that 
some  of  those  who  wear  them  like  to  be  in 
the  fashion  and  some  are  afraid  of  what  the 
world  will  say. 

"  But  there  is  another  question.  When  our 
friends  have  left  us  and  are  happy  with  the 
Lord  Jesus,  as  all  his  children  are,  is  it  a  mark 
of  respect  to  their  memory,  that  we  should 
cover  our  faces  with  crape,  and  wear  gloomy 
drapery,  and  shut  up  our  shutters  to  keep  the 
sunlight  out  of  our  rooms  ?  Have  we  any 


92  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

right  to  stop  the  sunlight  anywhere  ? 
Wouldn't  it  be  better  honour  to  our  Chris- 
tian friends  who  have  gone,  to  be  glad  for 
them,  and  speak  as  if  we  were  ;  and  let  it  be 
seen  that  all  the  sorrow  we  have  is  on  our 
own  account,  and  we  do  not  mean  to  indulge 
that  selfishly  ?  We  do  not  sorrow  as  those 
that  have  no  hope ;  for  we  believe  that  them 
which  sleep  in  Jesus  will  God  bring  with  him. 
There  will  be  a  glorious  meeting  again,  by 
and  by,  when  Jesus  comes ;  then  we  and  our 
dear  ones  who  have  loved  him  will  be  together 
again,  and  all  of  us  with  the  Lord." 

"  Then  people  ought  not  to  wear  black  for 
mourning  ?  "  said  Matilda  with  a  brightened 
but  undecided  face. 

"  I  think  myself  it  is  a  very  unchristian 
fashion.  It  is  not  according  to  the  spirit  of 
the  early  Christian  times  ;  for  people  then  who 
had  had  friends  slain  by  wild  beasts,  and 
burned  to  death,  for  the  truth  of  Jesus, 
gathered  the  poor  remains  that  were  left  and 
laid  them  to  rest,  with  the  motto  cut  in  the 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  93 

door  of  their  resting  place,  — '  In  peace.  In 
Christ.'  " 

"  Did  they  !  "  said  Matilda. 

"  A  very  great  many  of  them." 

"  Then  wouldn't  you  wear  mourning,  Mr. 
Richmond?" 

"  I  should  not.     I  never  have." 

"  Nor  crape  on  your  hat  ?  " 

"  Nor  crape  anywhere." 

"  Then  I  don't  care ! "  said  Matilda. 

"  I  do  not  think  you  need  care." 

"  But  it  is  very  disagreeable ! "  continued 
Matilda. 

"  What?" 

"  That  people  will  say  such  things." 

Mr.  Richmond  smiled.  "  You  must  try 
and  learn  to  bear  that,  Tilly.  But  it  is  not 
very  difficult,  when  you  are  sure  that  you 
are  in  the  right?" 

"  I  think  it  is  difficult  to  bear,"  said  Ma- 
tilda. 

"  The  only  question  is,  what  is  right  ?  Do 
you  remember  the  fairy  tale,  about  the  jour- 


94 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 


ney  that  a  great  many  ladies  and  gentlemen 
took  to  the  top  of  a  hill,  to  get  certain  treas- 
ures that  were  there  ?  " 

"  The  golden  bird  and  the  singing  water ! " 
said  Matilda.  "  Yes,  I  know.  Do  you  know 
it,  Mr.  Richmond  ?  " 

"  I  heard  you  telling  it  to  Norton." 

"  I  didn't  know  that  you  heard ! "  said  Ma- 
tilda. "  Well,  Mr.  Richmond  ?  —  how  could 
you  remember !  " 

"  Well  —  if  they  looked  round,  when  they 
were  going  up  the  hill,  they  lost  all." 

"  They  were  turned  into  stone.  And  there 
were  all  sorts  of  noises  in  their  ears,  to  make 
them  look  round." 

"  The  only  way  to  get  to  the  top,  was  to 
stop  their  ears." 

"  Yes,  Mr.  Richmond ;  I  know ;  I  under- 
stand. But  what  golden  bird  and  singing 
water  are  we  going  up  hill  after  ?  " 

"  Something  better.  We  want  the  «  Well 
done,  good  and  faithful  servant,'— do  we 
not?  And  if  we  would  have  that,  we  must 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  95 

stop  our  ears  against  all  sorts  of  voices  that 
would  turn  aside  our  eyes  from  what  is  at  the 
top  of  the  hill." 

"  But  Mr.  Richmond,  it  is  not  wicked  to 
wear  mourning,  is  it  ?  " 

"  No.  I  was  thinking  then  of  other  things. 
But  it  is  very  unlike  the  spirit  of  religion, 
when  .a  friend  has  gone  home,  to  make  a 
parade  of  gloom  about  it;  very  unlike  the 
truth  of  Christ." 

"  Mr.  Richmond,  I  am  very  glad ;  and  now 
I  know  what  is  right,  I  am  very  much  obliged 
to  you.  And  Miss  Redwood  said  your  dinner 
would  be  ready  in  a  quarter  of  an  hour.  I 
guess  it  is  ready  now." 

Which  was  the  fact;  and  Matilda  ran 
home,  in  a  different  sort  of  gale  now,  and 
at  luncheon  was  quite  as  light  hearted  as 
usual. 


CHAPTER    IV. 

TT  was  needful  for  Norton  and  Matilda,  or 
they  thought  so,  to  take  the  early  train 
which  left  the  station  at  half  past  seven 
o'clock.  The  next  train  would  not  be  till  near 
eleven ;  and  that,  it  was  decided,  would  not  do 
at  all  for  their  purposes.  Taking  the  early 
train,  they  would  have  to  go  without  break- 
fast ;  but  that  was  no  matter ;  they  would  get 
breakfast  at  Poughkeepsie,  and  have  so  much 
the  more  fun.  The  omnibus  came  for  them  a 
little  after  half  past  six,  and  they  were  ready ; 
Matilda  with  an  important  basket  on  her 
arm,  which  Norton  gallantly  took  charge  of. 
It  was  a  delightful  experience  altogether. 
The  omnibus  did  not  immediately  take  the 
road  to  the  station ;  there  were  several  other 
passengers  to  gather  up,  and  they  drove 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 


97 


round  corners  and  stopped  at  houses  in  dif- 
ferent streets  of  the  village.  First  they  took 
in  old  Mr.  Kurtz ;  he  was  going  to  New 
York  for  his  business,  Norton  whispered  to 
Matilda ;  he  had  a  large  basket  and  an  old 
lady  with  him.  Then  the  omnibus  went 
round  into  the  street  behind  the  parsonage 
and  received  Mr.  Sehonflocken,  the  Lutheran 
minister,  and  from  another  house  another 
old  lady  with  another  basket.  Two  men 
got  in  from  the  corner.  Lastly  the  omnibus 
stopped  before  a  house  near  the  baker's ;  and 
here  they  waited.  The  people  were  not  ready. 
There  were  two  children  missing  from  the 
travelling  party,  it  seemed.  Inquiries  and 
exclamations  were  bandied  about;  the  stage 
driver  knocked  impatiently  and  cried  out  to 
hurry ;  Matilda  was  very  much  afraid  they 
might  miss  the  train.  "Never  mind;  he 
knows  his  business,"  Norton  remarked  coolly. 
At  last  a  man  who  had  been  in  quest,  brought 
back  the  stray  children  from  an  opposite  lum- 
ber yard,  calling  out  that  they  were  found ; 


98  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

then  there  were  kisses  and  leave  takings, 
and  "Good  bye,  grandma!"  and  "  Come  back 
again !  "  —  and  finally  the  mother  put  her  chil- 
dren into  the  omnibus,  the  first,  the  second, 
the  third,  and  the  fourth  ;  then  got  in  herself, 
and  the  vehicle  lumbered  on.  The  omnibus 
was  crowded  now ;  and  the  new  comers  had 
been  eating  a  breakfast  of  fried  cakes  and 
fish,  pretty  near  the  stove  where  it  was 
cooked ;  for  the  smoke  of  the  fry  had  filled 
their  clothes.  Of  course  it  filled  the  omnibus 
also.  This  could  be  borne  only  a  few  min- 
utes. 

"  Dear  Norton,"  Matilda  whispered,  "  can't 
you  open  this  window  for  me?  I  cannot 
breathe." 

«  You'll  catch  cold,"  said  Norton. 

"  No  I  won't.  Please  do !  it  is  choking 
me." 

Norton  laughed,  and  opened  the  window, 
and  Matilda  putting  her  face  close  to  the 
opening  was  able  to  get  a  breath  of  fresh  air. 
Then  she  enjoyed  herself  again.  The  grey 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  99 

dawn  was  brightening  over  the  fields ;  the 
morning  air  was  brisk  and  frosty ;  and  as 
soon  as  Matilda's  lungs  could  play  freely 
again,  so  could  her  imagination.  How  pretty 
the  dusky  clumps  of  trees  were  against  the 
brightening  sky ;  how  lovely  that  growing 
light  in  the  east,  which  every  moment  rose 
stronger  and  revealed  more.  The  farm  houses 
they  passed  looked  as  if  they  had  not  waked 
up  yet;  barns  and  farmyards  were  waiting 
for  the  day's  work  to  begin ;  a  waggoner  or 
two,  going  slowly  to  the  station,  were  all  the 
moving  things  they  saw.  The  omnibus 
passed  them,  and  lumbered  on. 

"  Norton,"  said  Matilda  suddenly,  bringing 
her  face  round  from  the  window,  "  it's  de- 
licious to  be  up  so  early." 

"  Unless  you  are  obliged  to  take  other 
people's  breakfast  before  you  get  your  own," 
said  Norton.  He  looked  disgusted,  and  Ma- 
tilda could  not  help  laughing  in  her  turn. 

"  Put  your  nose  to  my  window, — you  can," 
she  said.  "  The  air  is  as  sweet  as  can  be." 


100  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

"  Outside  "  —  grumbled  Norton. 

"  Well,  that  is  what  I  am  getting,"  said 
Matilda.  "  Can't  you  get  some  of  it  ?  —  poor 
Norton ! " 

"  What  I  don't  understand,"  said  Norton, 
"  is  how  people  live." 

At  this  point,  the  old  woman  with  the 
basket  got  out,  where  a  cross  road  branched 
off.  Matilda  was  obliged  to  move  up  into 
the  vacated  place,  to  make  more  room  for  the 
others  ;  and  she  lost  her  open  window.  How- 
ever, the  river  came  in  sight  now ;  the  end  of 
the  ride  was  near ;  and  soon  she  and  Norton 
stood  on  the  steps  of  the  station  house. 

"  I  don't  believe  my  coat  will  get  over  it  all 
day,"  said  the  latter.  "  There  ought  to  be 
two  omnibuses." 

"  The  poor  people  cannot  help  it,  Norton ; 
they  are  not  to  blame." 

"  Yes,  they  are,"  said  Norton.  "  They 
might  open  their  windows  and  air  their 
houses.  They  are  not  fit  to  be  in  a  carriage 
with  clean  people." 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  ioi 

"  I  guess  they  don't  know  any  better,"  said 
Matilda  ;  "  and  they  were  rather  poor  people, 
Norton." 

"  Well  ?  "  said  Norton.  "  That  is  what  I 
say.  There  ought  to  be  a  coach  for  them 
specially." 

He  went  in  to  buy  the  tickets,  and  Matilda 
remained  on  the  steps,  wondering  a  little  why 
there  should  be  poor  people  in  the  world. 
Why  could  not  all  have  open  windows  and 
free  air  and  sweet  dresses  ?  Being  poor,  she 
knew,  was  somehow  at  the  bottom  of  it ;  and 
why  should  there  be  such  differences  ?  And 
then,  what  was  the  duty  of  those  better  off? 
"  Whatsoever  ye  would  that  men  should  do 
to  you,"  —  that  opened  a  wide  field.  Too 
big  to  be  gone  over  just  now.  Matilda  was 
sure  that  she  was  in  the  right  way  so  far,  in 
going  to  give  pleasure  to  Maria ;  and  by  the 
way  she  would  take  all  the  pleasure  she  could 
herself.  How  sweet  it  was  now !  The  sun 
was  up,  and  shining  with  bright  yellow  light 
upon  the  hills  of  Rosendale  and  the  opposite 


102  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

shore.  The  river  was  all  in  lively  motion 
under  the  breeze ;  the  ferry  boat  just  coming 
in  from  Rondout;  the  sky  overhead  clearing 
itself  of  some  racks  of  grey  vapour  and  getting 
all  blue.  Could  anything  be  more  delicious  ? 
Now  the  passengers  came  trooping  over  from 
the  "  Lark,"  to  get  their  tickets  ;  and  presently 
came  the  rumble  of  the  train.  She  and  Nor- 
ton jumped  into  one  of  the  cars,  and  then  they 
were  off. 

"  I'm  hungry,"  was  Norton's  first  confidence 
in  the  cars. 

"  So  am  I,  very,"  said  Matilda.  "  It  will 
not  take  more  than  an  hour,  will  it,  to  go  to 
Poughkeepsie  ?  " 

"  Not  that,"  said  Norton.  «  Then  the  very 
first  thing  will  be,  to  go  up  to  Smith's  and 
get  our  breakfast." 

"  That's  that  restaurant?  " 

"  Yes.     A  good  one  too." 

"  I  never  was  in  a  restaurant  in  my  life," 
said  Matilda. 

"  We'll   see   how  you  like  it,   Pink ;    it's 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  103 

delightful  that  you  have  never  seen  any- 
thing." 

"  Why  ?  " 

"  You  have  got  so  much  to  see.  And  I 
want  to  know  what  you  will  think  of  it  all." 

Matilda  was  almost  too  happy.  So  happy, 
that  not  a  sunbeam,  nor  a  ripple  on  the  water, 
nor  a  cloud  in  the  sky,  but  seemed  to  bring 
her  more  to  be  glad  of.  It  was  only  that  her 
joy  met  these  things  and  glanced  back.  So 
Norton  said.  But  Matilda  thought  it  was 
something  beside. 

"  Why  Norton,  I  am  glad  of  those  things 
themselves?  she  insisted. 

"  Of  the  waves  on  the  river  ?  "  said  Norton. 

"  Yes,  to  be  sure  I  am." 

"  Nonsense,  Pink !     What  for  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know  what  for,"  said  Matilda. 
"  They  are  so  pretty.  And  they  are  so  lively. 
And  there  is  another  thing,  Norton,"  she  said 
with  a  change  of  voice.  "  God  made  them." 

"  Do  you  like  everything  he  has  made  ?  " 
said  Norton. 


104  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

«  I  think  I  do." 

"  Then  you  must  like  those  poor  people  in 
the  omnibus,  and  poor  people  everywhere. 
Do  they  give  you  pleasure  ?  " 

Matilda  could  not  say  that  they  did.  She 
wished  with  all  her  heart  there  were  no  such 
thing  as  poverty  in  the  world.  She  could 
not  answer  immediately.  And  before  she 
could  answer  the  whistle  blew. 

"  Is  this  Poughkeepsie  ?  " 

"  Yes,  this  is  Poughkeepsie.  Now  we'll 
have  breakfast !.  Look  sharp,  Pink  "  — 

In  another  minute,  the  two  were  standing 
on  the  platform  of  the  station. 

"  Is  this  the  place  ?  "  Matilda  inquired  a 
little  ruefully.  She  saw,  inside  the  glass  door, 
a  large  room  with  what  seemed  like  a  shop 
counter  running  down  the  length  of  it;  and 
on  this  counter  certainly  eatables  were  set 
out;  she  could  see  cups  of  tea  or  coffee,  and 
biscuits,  and  pieces  of  pie.  People  were 
crowding  to  this  counter,  and  plates  and  cups 
seemed  to  have  a  busy  time. 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  105 

"  This  is  Poughkeepsie,"  said  Norton. 
"  You  have  been  here  before.  This  our 
restaurant?  I  should  think  not!  Not  pre- 
cisely. We  have  got  to  take  a  walk  before 
we  get  to  it.  Smith's  is  at  the  top  of  the 
street." 

"  I  am  glad ;  I  am  ready  to  walk,"  said 
Matilda  joyously ;  and  they  set  off  at  a  pace 
which  shewed  what  sort  of  time  their  spirits 
were  keeping.  Nevertheless,  all  the  way, 
between  other  things,  Matilda  wras  studying 
the  problem  of  poverty  which  Norton  had 
presented  to  her.  The  walk  was  quite  a 
walk,  and  the  footsteps  were  a  little  slower 
before  the  "  top  of  the  street "  was  reached. 
Why  Norton  called  it  so,  Matilda  did  not  see. 
The  street  went  on,  far  beyond  ;  but  they 
turned  aside  round  a  corner,  and  presently 
were  at  the  place  they  wanted. 

They  entered  a  nice  quiet  room,  somewhat 
large,  to  be  sure,  and  with  a  number  of  little 
tables  set  out ;  but  nobody  at  any  of  them. 
Matilda  and  Norton  went  towards  the  back 


106  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

of  the  room,  where  it  took  an  angle,  and  they 
could  be  a  little  more  private.  Here  they 
took  possession  of  one  of  the  tables.  Norton 
set  down  his  basket,  and  Matilda  took  off  her 
hat.  Nothing,  she  thought,  could  possibly  be 
any  pleasanter  than  this  expedition  in  which 
they  were  engaged.  This  was  a  rare  expe- 
rience; unparalleled. 

"  Now  what  shall  we  have  ?  "  said  Norton. 

"  What  cam  we  have  ?  "  said  Matilda. 

"  Everything.  That  is,  any  common  thing. 
You  couldn't  get  dishes  of  French  make-ups, 
I  suppose  ;  and  we  don't  want  them.  I  am 
just  as  hungry  as  a  bear." 

"  And  I. am  as  hungry  as  a  bearess." 

Norton  went  off  into  a  great  laugh.  "  You 
look  so  like  it ! "  he  said.  "  But  you  might 
be  as  hungry  as  a  bear;  that  don't  say 
anything  against  your  ladylike  character. 
Though  I  always  heard  that  she  bears  were 
fiercer  than  the  others,  when  once  they  got 
their  spirits  up.  Oh,  Pink,  Pink!"  — 

He  was  interrupted  by  the  waiter. 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  107 

"  Now  Pink,  we've  got  to  be  civilized,  and 
say  what  we'll  have.  You  may  have  a  cup 
of  coffee." 

"  Yes,  I  would  like  it,  Norton." 

«  And  beefsteak  ?  or  cold  chicken  ?  We'll 
have  chicken.  I  know  you  like  it  best." 

It  was  nice  of  Norton  ;  for  he  didn't. 

«  Buckwheats,  Pink  ?  " 

«  Yes.     I  like  them,"  said  Matilda. 

"  So  do  I,  when  they  are  good.  And  rolls, 
in  case  they  shouldn't  be.  And  good  syrup 
—  Silver  Drip,  mind." 

Norton  gave  his  order,  and  the  two  sat 
waiting.  Matilda  examined  the  place  and 
its  appointments.  It  was  neat,  if  it  was  very 
plain. 

"  It's  a  good  place  enough,"  said  Norton. 
"  The  country  people  come  here  in  the  mid- 
dle of  the  day  when  they  have  driven  in  to 
Poughkeepsie  to  market  and  do  shopping. 
Then  the  place  is  busy  and  all  alive ;  now, 
you  see,  we  have  got  it  to  ourselves.  But 
anyhow,  they  have  always  good  plain  things 
here." 


I08  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

So  the  breakfast  proved  when  it  came. 
Matilda  was  very  much  amused  with  the  lit- 
tle coffee  pot,  holding  just  enough  for  two, 
and  the  cream  pitcher  to  match.  But  there 
was  hot  milk  in  plenty ;  and  the  cakes  were 
feathery  light ;  and  the  cold  fowl  very  good  ; 
and  the  rolls  excellent.  And  the  two,  Norton 
and  Matilda,  were  very  hungry.  So  much 
exercise  and  so  much  business  and  pleasure 
together  made  them  sharp.  Eating  stopped 
talking  a  little.  But  the  very  goodness  of  the 
breakfast  made  Matilda  think  only  the  more, 
in  the  intervals,  of  that  question  Norton  had 
given  her ;  why  were  there  poor  people,  who 
could  have  nothing  like  this  ? 

«  Shall  we  go  to  Blodgett's  next  ?  or  will 
you  see  Maria  first  ? "  Norton  asked. 

"  O,  Maria  first,  Norton ;  and  then  we 
need  not  be  hurried  about  the  plants." 

"  The  roots,"  said  Norton.  «  Well,  I'll  see 
you  there,  and  then  I  have  some  other  busi- 
ness to  attend  to.  I'll  come  for  you  about 
dinner  time ;  then  we  can  go  to  Blodgett's 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 


109 


after  dinner.     You'll  want  a  good  deal  of 
time  with  Maria,  I  suppose." 

So  after  breakfast  the  two  went  down  the 
town  again  and  turned  into  the  cross  street 
where  Maria  lived.  At  the  door  of  the  hum- 
ble-looking house,  Norton  left  Matilda  and 
went  off  again.  Yes,  it  was  a  plain,  small 
brick  house,  with  wooden  steps  and  little 
windows.  Matilda  had  the  door  opened  to 
her  by  Maria  herself.  She  could  not  under- 
stand, though  she  surely  saw,  the  cloud  which 
instantly  covered  a  flash  of  pleasure  in  Maria's 
face.  The  two  went  in,  went  up  the  stairs 
to  a  little  back  room,  which  was  Maria's  own. 
A  chill  came  over  Matilda  here.  It  was  so 
different  from  her  room.  A  little  close  stove 
warmed  it ;  the  bed  was  covered  with  a  gay 
patchwork  quilt  which  had  seen  its  best  days  ; 
the  chairs  were  but  two,  and  those  rush-bot- 
tomed. A  painted  wooden  chest  of  drawers 
stood  under  the  tiny  bit  of  looking  glass ;  the 
wash  stand  in  the  corner  had  but  one  towel 
thrown  over  it,  and  that  not  clean;  one  or 


HO  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

two  of  Maria's  dresses  hung  up  against  the 
wall.  But  a  skirt  of  rich  blue  silk  lay  across 
the  bed,  for  contrast ;  and  yards  of  blue  satin 
ribband  lay  partly  quilled  on  the  skirt,  partly 
heaped  on  the  patchwork  quilt,  and  part  had 
fallen  on  the  floor.  So  one  life  touched  an- 
other life. 

«  Well ! "  said  Maria,  for  Matilda  did  not 
immediately  begin  what  she  had  to  say,: — 
"  how  came  you  to  be  here  so  early  ?  " 

"  We  came  down  in  the  early  train.  I 
wanted  to  have  a  good  long  time  to  talk  to 
you ;  and  the  next  train  is  so  late." 

"  Who  came  with  you  ?  " 

«  O,  Norton.     Norton  Laval." 

"  Norton  Laval !  He  came  with  you  be- 
fore. How  came  aunt  Candy  to  let  you 
come  ?  " 

"  She  could  not  help  it." 

"  No,"  said  Maria  scornfully ;  "  anything 
that  Mrs.  Laval  wanted,  she  would  say  noth- 
ing against.  She  would  go  down  on  her 
knees,  if  she  could  get  into  Mrs.  Laval's 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  m 

house.  Did  Mrs.  Laval  ask  her  to  get  you 
those  new  things  ?  " 

"No.     Mrs.  Laval"  — 

"  How  came  she  to  do  it,  then  ?  "  inter- 
rupted Maria.  "  They  are  just  as  handsome 
as  they  can  be ;  and  in  the  fashion  too.  But 
she  always  liked  you.  I  knew  it.  She  never 
gave  me  anything,  but  a  faded  silk  necker- 
chief. She  is  too  mean  "  — 

"  O  don't,  Maria!"  Matilda  interrupted  in 
her  turn.  "  Aunt  Candy  had  nothing  to  do 
with  these  things  ;  she  never  gave  me  much 
either ;  she  did  not  get  these  for  me." 

"  Who  did,  then  ?  "  said  Maria  opening  her 
eyes. 

"  Mrs.  Laval." 

" Mrs.  Laval!     How  came  she  to  do  it? " 

"  Yes,  Maria,  because  —  Maria,  I  have  gone 
away  from  aunt  Candy's." 

"  For  a  visit.  I  know.  It  has  been  a  tre- 
mendously long  visit,  I  think." 

"  Not  for  a  visit  now.  Maria,  I  am  not  to 
go  back  there  at  all  any  more  ;  I  mean,  I  am 


112  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

not  going  back  to  aunt  Candy.  Mrs.  Laval 
has  taken  me  to  keep  —  to  be  her  own  child. 
I  am  there  now,  for  always." 

"  What  ?  "  Maria  exclaimed. 

"  Mrs.  Laval  has  taken  me  for  her  own, — 
for  her  own  child." 

"  She  hasn't ! "  said  Maria ;  and  if  the 
wish  did  not  point  the  expression,  it  was 
hard  to  tell  what  did.  Matilda  made  no 
answer. 

"  Mrs.  Laval  has  taken  you  ?  for  her  own 
child? "  repeated  Maria.  "  Do  you  mean  that  ? 
To  be  with  her,  just  like  her  own  daughter? 
always  ?  " 

Matilda  bowed  her  head,  and  her  eyes  filled. 
She  was  so  disappointed. 

"You  aren't  ever  going  to  call  her  mamma  ? 
Don't  you  do  it,  Matilda!  See  you  don't. 
If  you  do,  I'll  not  be  your  sister  any  more. 
She  shall  not  have  that !  " 

Matilda  was  silent  still,  utterly  dismayed. 

«  Why  don't  you  speak  ?  What  made  her 
do  that,  anyhow  ?  " 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  113 

"I  don't  know,"  said  Matilda  in  a  trem- 
bling voice.  "  She  had  a  little  daughter  once, 
and  she  took  me  "  —  Matilda's  eyes  were  glit- 
tering. She  nearly  broke  down,  but  would 
not,  and  in  the  resistance  she  made  to  the 
temptation,  her  head  took  its  peculiar  airy 
turn  upon  her  neck.  Maria  ought  to 
have  known  her  well  enough  to  understand 
it. 

"  Everything  comes  to  you !  "  she  exclaimed. 
"  I  wonder  why  nothing  comes  to  me !  There 
are  you,  set  up  now,  you  think,  above  all  your 
relations ;  you  will  not  want  to  look  at  us  by 
and  by ;  I  dare  say  you  feel  so  now.  And 
you  are  dressed,  and  have  dresses  made  for 
you,  and  you  ride  in  a  carriage,  and  you 
have  everything  you  want ;  and  I  here  make 
dresses  for  other  people,  and  live  anyhow  I 
can ;  sew  and  sew,  from  morning  till  night, 
and  begin  again  as  soon  as  morning  comes ; 
and  never  a  bit  of  pleasure  or  rest  or  hope  of 
it ;  and  can't  dress  myself  decently,  except  by 
the  hardest !  I  don't  know  what  I  have  done 


114  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

to  deserve  it !  "  said  Maria  furiously.  "  It  has 
always  been  so.  Mamma  loved  you  best,  and 
aunt  Candy  treated  you  best,  —  she  didn't 
love  anybody; — and  now  strangers  have 
taken  you  up ;  and  nobody  cares  for  me  at 
all." 

Here  Maria  completed  her  part  of  the  har- 
mony by  bursting  into  tears.  And  being  tears 
of  extreme  mortification  and  envy,  they  were 
hard  to  stop.  The  fountain  was  large.  Ma- 
tilda sat  still,  with  her  eyes  glittering,  and 
her  head  in  the  position  that  with  her  was 
apt  to  mean  disapproval,  and  meant  it  now. 
But  what  could  she  say. 

"  It's  very  hard !  "—  Maria  sobbed  at  last. 
«  It's  very  hard !  " 

"  Maria,"  said  her  little  sister,  "  does  it 
make  it  any  harder  for  you,  because  I  am 
taken  such  good  care  of?" 

"  Yes  !  "  said  Maria.  "  Why  should  good 
care  be  taken  of  you  any  more  than  of  me  ? 
Of  course  it  makes  it  harder." 

There  was  nothing  that  it  seemed  wise  to 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  115 

say;  and  Matilda,  sometimes  a  wise  little 
child  in  her  way,  waited  in  silence,  though 
very  much  grieved.  She  began  to  think  it 
was  hard  for  Maria,  though  the  whole  thing 
had  got  into  a  puzzle  with  her.  And  she 
thought  it  was  a  little  bit  hard  for  herself, 
that  she  should  have  taken  such  pains  to  pre- 
pare a  present  for  her  sister,  and  meet  such 
a  reception  when  she  came  to  offer  it. 

"  Just  look  what  a  place  I  live  in !  "  sobbed 
Maria.  "  Not  a  nice  thing  about  it.  And 
here  I  sit  and  sew  and  sew,  to  make  other 
people's  things,  from  morning  till  night ;  and 
longer.  I  had  to  sit  up  till  ten  o'clock  last 
night,  puckering  on  that  ribband  ;  and  I  shall 
have  to  do  it  again  to-night ;  till  twelve,  very 
likely ;  because  I  have  spent  time  talking  to 
you.  All  that  somebody  else  may  be  dressed 
and  have  a  good  time." 

"  But  Maria,  what  would  you  do  if  you 
hadn't  this  to  do  ?  "  suggested  Matilda. 

"  I  don't  know,  and  I  don't  care!  I'd  as 
lieve  die  as  do  this.  I  should  like  to  put 


Il6  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

those  pieces  of  blue  ribband  in  the  stove,  and 
never  see  them  again !  " 

"  Isn't  it  pleasant  work,  Maria  ?  I  think  it 
is  pretty  nice  work.  It  isn't  hard." 

"  Isn't  it !  "  said  Maria.  "  How  would 
you  like  to  try  it?  How  would  you  like  to 
exchange  your  room  at  Mrs.  Laval's  for  this 
one?  Haven't  you  got  a  nice  room  there?  " 

Matilda  answered  yes. 

"  How  would  you  like  to  exchange  it  for  this 
one,  and  to  sit  here  making  somebody's  dress 
for  a  party,  instead  of  riding  about  on  the  cars 
and  going  where  you  like  and  seeing  every- 
thing and  doing  what  you've  a  mind  to  ?  Nice 
exchange,  wouldn't  it  be  ?  Don't  you  think 
you'd  like  to  try  it  ?  And  I  would  come  and 
see  you  and  tell  you  how  pleasant  it  is." 

Matilda  had  nothing  to  say.  Her  eye 
glanced  round  again  at  the  items  of  Maria's 
surroundings :  the  worn  ingrain  carpet ;  the 
rusty,  dusty  little  stove  ;  the  patch-work  coun- 
terpane, which  the  bright  silk  made  to  look 
so  very  coarse ;  and  she  could  not  but  confess 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  ny 

to  herself  that  it  would  be  a  sore  change  to 
leave  her  pleasant  home  and  easy  life  and 
come  here.  But  what  then  ? 

"  Maria,  it  isn't  my  fault,"  she  said  at  last. 
"  It  is  not  my  doing  at  all.  And  I  think  this 
is  a  great  deal  better  than  living  with  aunt 
Candy ;  and  I  would  a  great  deal  rather  do 
it." 

"  I  wouldn't,"  said  Maria. 

Matilda  sat  still  and  waited ;  her  gayety 
pretty  well  taken  down.  She  was  very  sorry 
for  her  sister,  though  she  could  not  approve 
her  views  of  things.  Neither  did  she  know 
well  what  to  say  to  them.  So  she  kept  si- 
lence ;  until  Maria  stopped  sobbing,  dried 
her  eyes,  washed  her  hands,  and  began  to 
quill  her  blue  trimming  again. 

"  What  did  you  come  to  Poughkeepsie  for, 
to-day?" 

"  To  see  you ;  nothing  else." 

"  I  think  it  is  time.  You  haven't  been  here 
for  weeks,  and  months,  for  aught  I  know." 

"  Because  I  wrote  you  why,  Maria.     There 


Il8  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

was  sickness  at  Briery  Bank,  and  Norton  and 
I  were  at  the  parsonage  ever  so  long.  I 
couldn't  come  to  see  you  then." 

"  What  have  you  got  in  that  basket  ?  your 
dinner?" 

"  O  no ;  something  that  I  wanted  to  shew 
to  you.  I  wanted  to  bring  you  something, 
Maria  ;  and  I  did  not  know  what  you  would 
like ;  and  I  thought  about  it  and  thought 
about  it  all  yesterday,  and  I  didn't  know. 
I  wanted  to  bring  you  something  pretty ;  but 
I  remembered  when  I  was  here  before  you 
said  you  wanted  gloves  and  handkerchiefs 
so  much ;  and  so,  I  thought  it  was  better  to 
bring  you  those." 

While  Matilda  was  making  this  speech, 
she  was  slowly  taking  out  of  her  basket  and 
unfolding  her  various  bundles  ;  she  had  half 
a  hope,  and  no  more  now,  that  Maria  would 
be  pleased.  Maria  snatched  the  bundles,  ex- 
amined the  handkerchiefs  and  counted  them ; 
then  compared  the  gloves  with  her  hand  and 
laid  them  over  it.  Finally  she  put  both 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  119 

gloves  and  handkerchiefs  on  the  bed  beside 
her,  and  went  on  sewing.  She  had  not  said 
one  word  about  them. 

"  Are  they  right,  Maria  ? "  said  her  little 
sister.  "  They  are  the  right  number,  I  know ; 
do  you  like  the  colours  I  have  chosen?" 

"  They  are  well  enough,"  Maria  answered. 

"  Green  and  chocolate,  I  thought  you  liked," 
Matilda  went  on;  "and  the  dark  brown  / 
liked.  So  I  chose  those.  Do  you  like  the 
handkerchiefs,  Maria  ?  " 

"  I  want  them  badly  enough,"  said  Maria. 
"  Did  you  get  them  at  Cope's  ?  " 

"  Yes,  and  I  thought  they  were  very  nice. 
Are  they  ?  " 

"A  child  like  you  doesn't  know  much  about 
buying  such  things,"  said  Maria,  quilling  and 
turning  her  blue  ribband  with  great  energy. 
« Yes,  they'll  do  pretty  well.  What  sort  of 
handkerchiefs  have  you  got  ?  " 

"Just  my  old  ones.  I  haven't  got  any 
new  ones." 

I  should  like  to  see  those,  when  you  get 


120  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

them.  I  suppose  they'll  be  worked,  and  have 
lace  round  the  borders." 

"  I  shouldn't  like  it,  if  they  had,"  said  Ma- 
tilda. 

"  We'll  see,  when  you  get  them.  I  wonder 
how  many  things  Anne  and  Letitia  want? 
and  can't  get." 

"  I  shall  see  them  soon,"  said  Matilda. 
"  We  are  going  to  New  York  for  the  winter." 

"You  are!"  exclaimed  Maria,  again  rue- 
fully. Matilda  could  not  understand  why. 
"  But  you  won't  see  much  of  Anne  and  Letty, 
I  don't  believe." 

"  Perhaps  I  shall  be  going  to  school,  and 
so  not  have  much  chance.  Where  do  they 
live,  Maria  ?  I  have  forgotten." 

"  You  will  forget  again,"  said  Maria. 

"  But  tell  me,  please.     I  will  put  it  down." 

"  Number  316  Bolivar  street.  Now  how 
much  wiser  are  you  ?  " 

"Just  so  much,"  said  Matilda,  marking  the 
number  on  a  bit  of  paper.  "  I  must  know 
the  name  before  I  can  find  the  place." 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  12! 

"  You  won't  go  there  much,"  said  Maria 
again.  "  Might  just  as  well  let  it  alone." 

"  Are  the  people  here  pleasant,  Maria  ?  are 
they  good  to  live  with  ?  " 

"  They  are  not  what  you  would  call 
good." 

"  Are  they  pleasant  ?  " 

"  No,"  said  Maria.  «  They  are  not  at  all 
pleasant.  I  don't  care  who  hears  me  say  it. 
All  the  woman  cares  for,  is  to  get  as  much 
work  out  of  me  as  she  can.  That  is  how  I 
live." 

There  was  no  getting  to  a  smooth  track 
for  conversation  with  Maria.  Begin  where 
she  would,  Matilda  found  herself  directly 
plunged  into  something  disagreeable.  She 
gave  it  up  and  sat  still,  watching  the  blue 
ribband  curling  and  twisting  in  Maria's  fin- 
gers, and  wondering  sadly  anew  why  some 
people  should  be  rich  and  others  poor. 

"  Aren't  you  going  to  take  off  your  things 
and  have  dinner  with  me  ?  "  said  Maria,  glanc- 
ing up  from  her  trimming. 


122  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

"  I  cannot  do  that  very  well ;  Norton  is  com- 
ing for  me ;  and  I  do  not  know  how  soon." 

"  I  don't  suppose  I  could  give  you  anything 
you  would  like  to  eat.  Where  will  you  get 
your  dinner  then  ?  " 

"  Somewhere  with  Norton." 

"  Then  you  didn't  bring  it  with  you  ?  " 

«  No." 

Matilda  did  not  feel  that  it  would  do  to- 
day, to  invite  Maria  to  go  with  them  to  the 
restaurant.  Norton  had  said  nothing  about 
it;  and  in  Maria's  peculiar  mood  Matilda 
could  not  tell  how  she  might  behave  herself 
or  what  she  would  say.  Perhaps  Maria  ex- 
pected it,  but  she  could  not  help  that.  The 
time  was  a  silent  one  between  the  sisters, 
until  the  expected  knock  at  the  house  door 
came.  It  was  welcome,  as  well  as  expected. 
Matilda  got  up,  feeling  relieved  if  she  felt  also 
sorry ;  and  after  kissing  Maria,  she  ran  down- 
stairs and  found  herself  in  the  fresh  open  air, 
taking  long  breaths,  like  a  person  that  had 
been  shut  up  in  a  close  little  stove-heated 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  123 

room.  Which  she  had.  And  Norton's  cheery 
voice  was  a  delightful  contrast  to  Maria's  dis- 
mal tones.  With  busy  steps,  the  two  went 
up  the  street  again  to  the  restaurant.  It  was 
pretty  full  of  people  now ;  but  Norton  and 
Matilda  found  an  unoccupied  table  in  a  cor- 
ner. There  a  good  dinner  was  brought  them ; 
and  the  two  were  soon  equally  happy  in  eat- 
ing it  and  in  discussing  their  garden  arrange- 
ments. After  they  had  dined,  Norton  ordered 
ice  cream. 

Matilda  was  as  fond  of  ice  cream  as  most 
children  are  who  have  very  seldom  seen  it ;  but 
while  she  sat  enjoying  it  she  began  to  think 
again,  why  she  should  have  it  and  Maria  not 
have  it  ?  The  question  brought  up  the  whole 
previous  question  that  had  been  troubling  her, 
about  the  rich  and  the  poor,  and  quite  gave 
a  peculiar  flavour  to  what  she  was  tasting. 
She  lost  some  of  Norton's  talk  about 
bulbs. 

"  Norton,"  she  exclaimed  at  last  suddenly, 
"  I  have  found  it !  " 


124  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

"  Found  what  ?  "  said  Norton.  «  Not  a 
blue  tulip  ?  " 

"  No,  not  a  blue  tulip.  I  have  found  the 
answer  to  that  question  you  asked  me,  —  you 
know,  —  in  the  cars." 

"  I  asked  you  five  hundred  and  fifty  ques- 
tions in  the  cars,"  said  Norton.  "  Which 
one  ?  " 

"  Just  before  ws  got  to  Poughkeepsie, 
don't  you  remember  ?  " 

"  No,"  said  Norton  laughing.  "  I  don't, 
of  course.  What  was  it,  Pink  ?  The  idea 
of  remembering  a  question ! " 

"  Don't  you  remember,  you  asked  me  if  I 
didn't  like  poverty  and  poor  people,  for  the 
same  reason  I  liked  other  things  ?  " 

But  here  Norton's  amusement  became 
quite  unmanageable. 

"  How  should  you  like  poverty  and  poor 
people  for  the  same  reason  you  like  other 
things,  you  delicious  Pink  ? "  he  said. 
"  How  should  you  like  those  smoky  coats  in 
the  omnibus,  for  the  same  reason  that  you 
like  a  white  hyacinth  or  a  red  tulip  ?  " 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  125 

"  That  is  what  I  was  puzzling,  about, 
Norton  ;  you  don't  recollect ;  and  I  could  not 
make  it  out ;  because  I  knew  I  didn't  enjoy 
poverty  and  poor  things,  and  you  said  I 
ought." 

"  Excuse  me,"  said  Norton.  "  I  never  said 
you  ought,  in  the  whole  course  of  my  ra- 
tional existence  since  I  have  known  you." 

"  No,  no,  Norton ;  but  don't  you  know,  I 
said  I  liked  everything,  waves  of  the  river 
and  all,  because  God  made  them  ?  and  you 
thought  I  ought  to  like  poor  people  and 
things  for  the  same  reason." 

"O,  that!"  said  Norton.  "  Well,  why 
don't  you?" 

"  That  is  what  I  could  not  tell,  Norton, 
and  I  was  puzzling  to  find  out ;  and  now  I 
know." 

"  Well,  why  ?  " 

"  Because,  God  did  not  make  them, 
Norton." 

"  Yes,  he  did.  Doesn't  he  make  every- 
thing ?  " 


126  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

"  In  one  way  he  does,  to  be  sure  ;  but  then, 
Norton,  if  everybody  did  just  right,  there 
would  be  no  poor  people  in  the  world ;  so  it 
is  not  something  that  God  has  made,  but 
something  that  comes  because  people  won't 
do  right." 

"  How  ?  "  said  Norton. 

"  Why  Norton,  you  know  yourself.  If 
everybody  was  good  and  loved  everybody 
else  as  well  as  himself,  the  people  who  have 
more  than  enough  would  give  to  the  people 
who  are  in  want,  and  there  would  not  be 
uncomfortable  poor  people  anywhere.  And 
that  is  what  the  Bible  says.  '  He  that  hath 
two  coats,'  —  don't  you  remember  ?  " 

"  No,  I  don't,"  said  Norton.  «  Most  peo- 
ple have  two  coats,  that  can  afford  it.  What 
ought  they  to  do  ?  " 

"  The  Bible  says,  "  let  him  impart  to  him 
that  hath  none.'  " 

"  But  suppose  I  cannot  get  another,"  said 
Norton  ;  "  and  I  want  two  for  myself?  " 

"  But  somebody  else  has  not  one  ?  sup- 
pose." 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  127 

"  I  can  very  easily  suppose  it,"  said  Nor- 
ton. "  As  soon  as  we  get  out  of  the  cars  in 
New  York  I'll  shew  you  a  case." 

"Well,  Norton,  that  is  what  I  said.  If 
everybody  loved  those  poor  people,  don't  you 
see,  they  would  have  coats,  and  whatever 
they  need.  It  is  because  you  and  I  and 
other  people  don't  love  them  enough." 

"  I  don't  love  another  boy  well  enough  to 
give  him  my  overcoat,"  said  Norton.  "  But 
coats  wouldn't  make  a  great  many  poor  peo- 
ple respectable.  Those  children  in  the  omni- 
bus this  morning  had  coats  on,  comfortable 
enough ;  the  trouble  was,  they  were  full  of 
buckwheat  cake  smoke." 

"  Well  if  people  are  not  clean,  that's  their 
own  fault,"  said  Matilda.  "  But  those  people 
this  morning  hadn't  perhaps  any  place  to  be 
in  but  their  kitchen.  They  might  not  be  able 
to  help  it,  for  want  of  another  room  and 
another  fire." 

Matilda  was  eager,  but  Norton  was  very 
much  amused.  He  ordered  some  more  ice 


128  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN, 

cream  and  a  charlotte.  Matilda  eat  what  he 
gave  her,  but  silently  carried  on  her  thoughts ; 
these  she  would  have  given  to  Maria,  if  she 
could  ;  she  was  having  more  than  enough. 

Moralizing  was  at  an  end  when  she  got  to 
the  gardener's  shop.  The  consultations  and 
discussions  which  went  on  then,  drove  every- 
thing else  out  of  her  head.  The  matter  in 
hand  was  a  winter  garden,  for  their  home  in 
New  York. 

"  I'll  have  some  auriculas  this  year,"  said 
Norton.     "  You  wouldn't  know  how  to  man- 
age them,  Pink.     You  must  have  tulips  and 
snowdrops ;  O  yes,  and  crocuses.     You  can 
get  good  crocuses  here.     And  polyanthus  nar- 
cissus you  can  have.     You  will  like  that." 
"  But  what  will  you  have,  Norton  ?  " 
"  Auriculas.     That's  one  thing.     And  then, 
I  think  I'll  have  some  Amaryllis  roots — but 
I  won't  get  those  here.     I'll  get  tulips  and 
'  hyacinths,  Pink." 

"  Shall  we  have  room  for  so  many?" 

"  Lots  of  room.     There's  my  room  has  two 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  129 

south  windows — that's  the  good  of  being  on 
a  corner ;  and  I  don't  know  exactly  what 
your  room  will  be,  but  I'll  get  grandmother 
to  let  us  live  on  that  side  of  the  house  any- 
how. Nobody  else  in  the  family  cares  about 
a  south  window,  only  you  and  I.  Put  up  a 
dozen  Van  Tols,  and  a  dozen  of  the  hyacinths, 
and  three  polyanthus  narcissus,  and  a  dozen 
crocuses ;  —  and  a  half  dozen  snowdrops." 

"  Will  you  plant  them  while  we  are  in 
Shadywalk  ?  " 

"  Of  course,"  said  Norton  ;  "  or  else  they'll 
be  blossoming  too  late,  don't  you  see  ?  Un- 
less we  go  to  town  very  soon ;  and  in  that 
case  we'll  wait  and  keep  them." 

The  roots  were  paid  for  and  ordered  to  be 
sent  by  express  ;  and  at  last  Norton  and  Ma- 
tilda took  their  journey  to  the  station  house  to 
wait  for  the  train.  It  was^  all  a  world  of 
delight  to  Matilda.  She  watched  eagerly 
the  gathering  people,  the  busy  porters  and 
idle  hack  drivers ;  the  expectant  table  and 
waiters  in  the  station  restaurant ;  every  detail 
9 


130  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

and  almost  every  person  she  saw  had  the 
charm  of  novelty  or  an  interest  of  some  sort 
for  her  unwonted  eyes.  And  then  came  the 
rumble  of  the  train,  the  snort  and  the  whistle  ; 
and  she  was  seated  beside  Norton  in  the  car, 
with  a  place  by  the  window  where  she  could 
still  watch  everything.  The  daylight  was 
dying  along  the  western  shore  before  they 
reached  the  Shadywalk  station  ;  the  hills  and 
the  river  seemed  to  Matilda  like  a  piece  of  a 
beautiful  vision ;  and  all  the  day  had  been 
like  a  dream. 


CHAPTER     V. 

TT  was  near  dark  by  the  time  they  got 
home,  and  Matilda  was  tired.  Tea  and 
lights  and  rest  were  very  pleasant ;  and  after 
tea  she  sat  down  on  a  cushion  by  Mrs.  La- 
val's side,  while  Norton  told  over  the  doings 
of  the  day. 

"  Which  room  will  Matilda  have,  mamma, 
in  New  York  ?  "  Norton  asked. 

"  I  don't  know.     Why  are  you  anxious  ?  " 
"  We  want  south  windows  for  our  plants." 
"  She  shall    have  a   south  window,"    said 
Mrs.  Laval  fondly.     "  And  I  have  had  a  letter 
from  your  grandmother,  Norton.     I  think  I 
shall  go  to  town  next  week." 

"  Before  December!"  cried  Norton.  "  Hurra ! 
That  is  splendid.  After  we  get  into  Decem- 
ber and  I  am  going  to  school,  the  days  and 


132  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

the  weeks  get  into  such  a  progress  that  they 
trip  each  other  up,  and  I  don't  know  where  I 
am.  And  there's  Christmas.  Mamma,  don't 
send  Pink  to  school !  Let  me  teach  her." 

"  I  don't  think  you  know  very  well  where 
you  are  now,"  said  his  mother  smiling. 
"  What  will  you  do  with  your  own  lessons  ?  " 

"Plenty  of  time,"  said  Norton.  "Too 
much  time,  in  fact.  Mamma,  I  don't  think 
Pink  would  enjoy  going  to  school." 

"  We  will  see,"  Mrs.  Laval  said.  "  But 
there  is  something  else  Pink  would  enjoy,  I 
think.  You  have  not  got  your  allowance  yet, 
Matilda.  Have  you  a  purse,  love  ?  or  a  porte- 
monnaie,  or  anything  ?  " 

"  O  yes,  ma'am !  Don't  you  remember, 
ma'am,  you  gave  me  your  pocket  book  ?  a 
beautiful  red  morocco  one,  with  a  sweet 
smell?" 

"  No,"  said  Mrs.  Laval  laughing. 

"  It  was  before  the  sickness —  O,  long  ago ; 
you  gave  it  to  me,  with  money  in  it,  for  Lilac 
lane." 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  133 

"  Is  the  money  all  gone  ?  " 

"  It  is  all  gone,"  said  Matilda ;  "  for  you 
remember,  Mrs.  Laval,  Norton  and  I  had  a 
great  many  things  to  get  for  that  poor  woman 
and  her  house.  It  took  all  the  money." 

"  You  had  enough  ?  " 

"  O  yes,  ma'am ;  Norton  helped." 

"  Well  then  you  have  a  pocket  book  ;  that 
will  serve  to  hold  your  future  supplies.  I 
shall  give  you  the  same  as  I  give  Norton, 
five  dollars  a  month ;  that  is  fifteen  dollars  a 
quarter.  Out  of  that  you  will  provide  your- 
self with  boots  and  shoes  and  gloves;  you 
may  consult  your  own  taste,  only  you  must 
be  always  nice  in  those  respects.  Here  is 
November's  five  dollars." 

"  Mamma,  November  is  half  out,"  said 
Norton. 

"  Matilda  has  everything  to  get ;  she  has 
to  begin  without  such  a  stock  as  you  have  on 
hand." 

"  Mamma,  you  will  give  her  besides  for  her 
Christmas  presents,  won't  you  ?  " 


134         THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

"  Certainly.     As  I  do  you." 

"  How  much  will  you  give  her,  mamma  ? 
For  I  foresee  we  shall  have  a  great  deal  of 
work  to  attend  to  in  New  York  stores  before 
Christmas ;  and  Matilda  will  naturally  want 
to  know  how  much  she  has  to  spend." 

"  She  can  think  about  it,"  said  Mrs.  Laval 
smiling.  "  You  do  not  want  your  Christmas 
money  yet." 

"  We  shall  get  into  great  trouble,"  said 
Norton  with  a  mock  serious  face.  "  I  fore- 
see I  shall  have  so  much  advising  to  do  — 
and  to  take  —  that  it  lies  like  a  weight  on  me. 
I  can't  think  how  Pink  will  settle  things  in 
her  mind.  At  present  she  is  under  the  im- 
pression that  she  must  not  keep  more  than 
one  pair  of  boots  at  a  time." 

"  You  want  several,  my  darling,"  said  Mrs. 
Laval,  "  for  different  uses  and  occasions. 
Don't  you  understand  that  ?  " 

"  Yes  ma'am,  I  always  did  "  — 

Matilda  would  have  explained,  but  Norton 
broke  in.  "  She  thinks  two  overcoats  at  once 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN,  135 

is  extravagant,  mamma ;  I  ought  to  give  one 
of  them  away."  . 

Matilda  wanted  to  say  that  Norton  was 
laughing,  and  yet  what  he  said  was  partly 
true.  She  held  her  peace. 

"  You  do  not  really  think  that,  my  dar- 
ling," said  Mrs.  Laval,  putting  her  arm  round 
Matilda,  and  bending  down  her  face  for  a 
kiss.  "  You  do  not  think  that,  do  you  ?  " 

It  was  very  difficult  to  tell  Mrs.  Laval  what 
she  really  did  think.  Matilda  hesitated. 

"Don't  you  see,"  said  the  lady,  laughing 
and  kissing  her  again,  "  don't  you  see  that 
Norton  wants  two  overcoats  just  as  much  as 
he  wants  one  ?  The  one  he  wears  every  day 
to  school  would  not  be  fit  to  go  to  church  in. 
Hey  ?  "  said  Mrs.  Laval  with  a  third  kiss. 

"  Mamma,  there  are  reasons  against  all 
that;  you  do  not  understand,"  said  Norton. 

"  It's  very  hard  to  say,"  Matilda  spoke  at 
length,  rousing  herself;  for  her  head  had 
gone  down  on  Mrs.  Laval's  lap.  "  May  I 
say  exactly  what  I  do  mean'? " 


136  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

"  Certainly ;  and  Norton  shall  not  interrupt 
you." 

"  I  don't  want  to  interrupt  her,"  said  Nor- 
ton. "  It  is  as  good  as  a  book." 

«  What  is  it,  my  love  ?  " 

Matilda  slipped  off  her  cushion  and  kneel- 
ing on  the  rug,  with  her  hands  still  on  Mrs. 
Laval's  lap,  looked  off  into  the  fire. 

"  The  Bible  says "  —  she  began  and 
checked  herself.  The  Bible  was  not  such 
authority  there.  "  I  was  only  thinking  — 
Ma'am,  you  know  how  many  poor  people 
there  are  in  the  world?" 

«  Yes,  dear." 

"  She  doesn't,"  said  Norton. 

"  People  that  have  no  overcoats  at  all,  nor 
under  coats  neither,  some  of  them.  I  was 
thinking  —  if  all  the  people  who  have  plenty, 
would  give  half  to  the  people  who  have  noth- 
ing, there  would  be  nobody  cold  or  miserable ; 
I  mean,  miserable  from  that" 

"  Yes,  there  would,  my  darling,"  said  Mrs. 
Laval.  "  People  who  are  idle  and  wicked, 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  137 

and  won't  work  and  do  not  take  care  of 
what  they  have,  they  would  be  poor  if  we 
were  to  give  them,  not  half  but  three 
quarters,  of  all  we  have.  It  would  be  all 
gone  in  a  week  or  two ;  or  a  month  or 
two." 

Matilda  looked  at  Mrs.  Laval.  "  But  the 
poor  people  are  not  always  wicked  ?  " 

"  Very  often.  Industrious  and  honest  peo- 
ple need  never  suffer." 

That  would  alter  the  case,  Matilda  thought. 
She  sat  back  on  her  cushion  again  and  laid 
her  head  down  as  before.  But  then,  what 
meant  the  Bible  words ;  "  He  that  hath  two 
coats,  let  him  impart  to  him  that  hath  none ; 
and  he  that  hath  meat,  let  him  do  likewise  "  ? 
The  Bible  could  not  be  mistaken.  Matilda 
was  puzzled  with  the  difficult  question;  and 
presently  the  warm  fire  and  her  thoughts  to- 
gether were  too  much  for  her.  The  eyelids 
drooped  over  her  eyes  ;  she  was  asleep.  Mrs. 
Laval  made  a  sign  to  Norton  to  keep  quiet. 
Her  own  fingers  touched  tenderly  the  soft 


138  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

brown  locks  of  the  head  which  lay  on  her  lap ; 
but  too  softly  to  disturb  the  sleeper. 

"  Mamma,"  said  Norton  softly,  "  isn't  she 
a  darling?" 

«  Hush ! "  said  Mrs.  Laval.  «  Don't  wake 
her." 

"  She  is  perfectly  fast  asleep,"  said  Norton. 
"  She  don't  sham  sleeping  any  more  than 
awake.  Mamma,  how  will  grandmamma 
like  her?" 

"  She  cannot  help  it,"  said  Mrs.  Laval. 

«  Aunt  Judy  won't,"  said  Norton.  "  But 
mamma,  she  is  twenty  times  prettier  than 
Judith  Bartholomew." 

"  She  is  as  delicate  as  a  little  wood  flower," 
said  Mrs.  Laval. 

«  She  has  more  stuff  than  that,"  said  Nor- 
ton;  "she  is  stiff  enough  to  hold  her  head 
up ;  but  I'll  tell  you  what  she  is  like.  She 
is  like  my  Penelope  hyacinth." 

"Your  Penelope  hyacinth!"  Mrs.  Laval 
echoed. 

"  Yes  ;  you  do  not  know  it,  mamma.     It  is 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  139 

not  a  white  hyacinth  ;  just  off  that ;  the  most 
delicate  rose  pearl  colour.  Now  Judy  is  like 
a  purple  dahlia." 

"  Matilda  is  like  nothing  that  is  not  sweet," 
said  Mrs.  Laval  fondly,  looking  at  the  little 
head. 

"  Well,  I  am  sure  hyacinths  are  sweet," 
said  Norton.  "  Mamma,  will  you  let  me 
teach  her?" 

"  You  will  not  have  time." 

"  I  will.     I  have  plenty  of  time." 

"  What  will  you  teach  her?  " 

"  Everything  I  learn  myself  —  if  you  say 
so." 

"  Perhaps  she  would  like  better  to  go  to 
school." 

«  She  wouldn't,"  said  Norton.  "  She  likes 
everything  that  I  say." 

"  Does  she !  "  said  his  mother  laughing. 
"  That  is  dangerous  flattery,  Norton." 

"  Her  cheeks  are  just  the  colour  of  the  in- 
side of  a  pink  shell/'  said  Norton.  u  Mamma, 
there  is  riot  a  thing  ungraceful  about  her." 


1 40  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

"  Not  a  thing,"  said  Mrs.  Laval.  "  Not  a 
movement." 

"  And  she  is  so  dainty,"  said  Norton. 
"  She  is  just  as  particular  as  you  are, 
mamma." 

"  Or  as  my  boy  is,"  said  his  mother,  put- 
ting her  other  hand  upon  his  bright  locks. 
"  You  are  my  own  boy  for  that." 

"  Mamma,"  Norton  went  on,  "  I  want  you 
to  give  Pink  to  me." 

"  Yes,  I  know  what  that  means,"  said  his 
mother.  "  That  will  do  until  you  get  to 
school  and  are  going  on  skating  parties  every 
other  day;  then  you  will  like  me  to  take 
her  off  your  hands." 

Norton  however  did  not  defend  himself. 
He  kissed  his  mother,  and  then  stooped 
down  and  kissed  the  sleeping  little  face  on 
her  lap. 

"  Mamma,  she  is  so  funny ! "  he  said. 
"  She  actually  puzzles  her  head  with  questions 
about  rich  and  poor  people,  and  the  reforms 
there  ought  to  be  in  the  world ;  and  she 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  141 

thinks  she  ought  to  begin  the  reforms,  and  I 
ought  to  carry  them  on.  It's  too  jolly." 

"  It  will  be  a  pleasure  to  see  her  pleasure 
in  New  York." 

"  Yes,  won't  it!  Mamma,  nobody  is  to 
take  her  first  to  the  Central  Park  but  me." 

The  questions  about  rich  and  poor  were 
likely  to  give  Matilda  a  good  deal  to  do. 
She  had  been  too  sleepy  that  night  to  think 
much  of  anything ;  but  the  next  day,  when 
she  was  putting  her  five  dollars  in  her  pocket- 
book,  they  weighed  heavy. 

"  And  this  is  only  for  November,"  she  said 
to  herself;  "  and  December's  five  dollars  will 
be  here  directly  ;  and  January  will  bring  five 
more.  Fifteen.  How  many  shoes  and  boots 
must  I  get  for  that  time  ?  " 

Careful  examination  shewed  that  she  had 
on  hand  one  pair  of  boots  well  worn,  another 
pair  which  had  seen  service  as  Sunday  boots, 
but  were  quite  neat  yet,  and  one  pair  of  nice 
slippers.  The  worn  boots  would  not  do  to 
go  out  with  Mrs.  Laval,  nor  anywhere  in 


142  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

company  with  Matilda's  new  pelisse.  "  They 
will  only  do  to  give  away,"  she  concluded. 
They  would  have  seen  a  good  deal  of  service 
in  Shadywalk,  if  she  had  remained  there  with 
her  aunt  Candy ;  Mrs.  Laval  was  another 
affair.  One  pair  for  every  day  and  one  pair 
for  best,  would  do  very  well,  Matilda  thought. 
Then  gloves?  She  must  get  some  gloves. 
How  many  ? 

She  went  to  Mr.  Cope's  that  very  after- 
noon, and  considered  all  the  styles  of  gloves 
he  had  in  his  shop.  Fine  kid  gloves,  she 
found,  would  eat  up  her  money  very  fast. 
But  she  must  have  them  ;  nothing  else  could 
be  allowed  to  go  to  church  or  anywhere  in 
company  with  Mrs.  Laval,  and  even  Norton 
wore  nothing  else  when  he  was  dressed. 
Matilda  got  two  pair,  dark  brown  and  dark 
green ;  colours  that  she  knew  would  wear 
well ;  though  her  eyes  longed  for  a  pair  of 
beautiful  tan  colour.  But  besides  these,  Ma- 
tilda laid  in  some  warm  worsted  gloves,  which 
she  purposed  to  wear  in  ordinary  or  whenever 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  143 

she  went  out  by  herself.  She  had  two  dol- 
lars left,  when  this  was  done.  The  boots, 
Mrs.  Laval  had  told  her,  she  was  to  get  in 
New  York ;  she  could  wait  till  December  for 
them. 

And  now  everybody  was  in  a  hurry  to  get 
to  New  York.  The  house  was  left  in  charge 
of  the  Swiss  servants.  The  grey  ponies  were 
sent  down  the  river  by  the  last  boat  from 
Rondout.  Matilda  went  to  see  Mrs.  Eldridge 
once,  during  these  days  of  bustle  and  expect- 
ancy ;  and  the  visit  refreshed  all  those  ques- 
tions in  her  mind  about  the  use  of  money 
and  the  duties  of  rich  people.  So  much  work 
a  little  money  here  had  done!  It  was  not 
like  the  same  place.  It  was  a  humble  place 
doubtless,  and  would  always  be  that;  but 
there  was  cozy  warmth  instead  of  desolation  ; 
and  comfortable  tidiness  and  neatness  instead 
of  the  wretched  condition  of  things  which 
had  made  Matilda's  heart  sick  once  ;  and  the 
poor  woman  herself  was  decently  dressed, 
and  her  face  had  brightened  up  wonderfully. 


144  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

Matilda  read  to  her,  and  came  away  glad  and 
thoughtful. 

The  farewell  visit  was  paid  at  the  parson- 
age the  last  thing  ;  and  on  the  first  of  Decem- 
ber the  party  set  out  to  go  to  the  new  world 
of  the  great  city.  It  was  a  keen,  cold  winter's 
day ;  the  sky  bleak  with  driving  grey  clouds ; 
the  river  rolling  and  turbulent  under  the  same 
wind  that  sped  them.  Sitting  next  the 
window  in  the  car,  where  she  liked  to  sit, 
Matilda  watched  it  all  with  untiring  interest ; 
and  while  she  watched  it,  she  thought  by 
turns  of  Mr.  Richmond's  words  the  evening 
before.  Matilda  had  asked  him  how  she 
should  be  sure  to  know  what  was  right  to  do 
always  ?  Mr.  Richmond  advised  her  to  take 
for  her  motto  those  words  — "  Whatsoever 
ye  do,  in  word  or  deed,  do  all  in  the  name  of 
the  Lord  Jesus  ; "  —  and  to  let  every  question 
be  settled  by  them.  He  said  they  would  set- 
tle every  one,"  if  she  was  willing  they  should. 
And  now  as  Matilda  sat  musing,  she  believed 
they  would  ;  but  a  doubt  came  up, —  if  she 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  145 

lived  by  that  rule,  and  all  around  her  without 
exception  went  by  another  rale,  how  would 
they  get  along  ?  She  was  obliged  to  leave  it ; 
she  could  not  tell ;  only  the  doubt  came  up. 

It  seemed  a  long  way  to  New  York.  After 
Poughkeepsie  had  been  some  time  left  behind, 
Matilda  began  to  think  it  was  time  to  hear 
about  the  end  of  the  journey ;  but  Norton 
told  her  they  were  only  in  the  Highlands. 
Matilda  watched  the  changing  shores,  brown 
and  cold-looking,  till  the  hills  were  left 
behind,  and  the  river  took  a  look  she  was 
more  accustomed  to.  Still  Norton  only 
laughed  at  her,  when  she  appealed  to  him ; 
they  were  not  near  New  York,  he  said  ;  it 
was  Haverstraw  bay.  It  seemed  to  take  a 
great  while  to  pass  that  bay  and  Tappan  Sea. 
Then  Norton  pointed  out  to  her  the  high 
straight  line  of  shore  on  the  opposite  side 
of  the  river.  "  Those  are  the  Palisades, 
Pink,"  he  said ;  "  and  when  you  see  the  Pal- 
isades come  to  an  end,  then  New  York  is  not 
far  off." 

10 


146  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

But  it  seemed  as  if  the  Palisades  would 
never  come  to  an  end,  in  Matilda's  tired 
fancy.  She  was  weary  of  the  cars  by  this 
time,  and  eager  for  the  sight  of  the  new 
strange  place  where  her  life  was  to  be  for  so 
long.  And  the  cars  sped  on  swiftly,  and  still 
the  straight  line  of  the  Palisades  stretched  on 
too.  At  last,  at  last,  that  straight  line  shewed 
signs  of  breaking  down. 

"  Yes,"  said  Norton,  to  whom  Matilda 
pointed  this  out,  —  "we'll  soon  be  in  now, 
Pink." 

Matilda  roused  up,  to  use  her  eyes  with 
fresh  vigilance.  She  noticed  one  or  two 
places  where  carts  and  men  were  busy,  seem- 
ingly, with  the  endeavour  to  fill  up  the  North 
river ;  at  least  they  were  carrying  out  loads 
of  earth  and  dumping  it  into  the  water.  She 
was  tired  of  talking  by  this  time,  and  waited 
to  ask  an  explanation  till  the  roar  of  the  car- 
wheels  should  be  out  of  her  ears.  They 
came  to  scattered  buildings ;  then  the  build- 
ings seemed  less  scattered;  then  the  train 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 


H7 


slackened  its  wild  rate  of  rushing  on,  and 
Matilda  could  better  see  what  she  was  pass- 
ing. They  were  in  a  broad  street  at  last, 
broader  than  any  street  in  Shadywalk.  But 
it  was  dismal !  Was  this  New  York  ?  Ma- 
tilda had  never  seen  such  forlorn  women  and 
children  on  the  sidewalks  at  home.  Nor  ever 
so  much  business  going  on  there.  Everybody 
was  busy,  except  one  or  two  women  lounging 
in  a  doorway.  Carts,  and  builders,  and  hur- 
ried passers  by  ;  and  shops  and  markets  and 
grocery  stores  in  amazing  numbers  and  suc- 
cession. But  with  a  sort  of  forlornness  about 
them.  Matilda  thought  she  would  not  like 
to  have  to  eat  the  vegetables  or  the  meat  she 
saw  displayed  there. 

Then  came  the  slow  stopping  of  the  cars; 
and  the  passengers  turned  out  into  the  long 
shed  of  the  station  house.  Here  Norton  left* 
them,  to  go  and  find  the  carriage  ;  while  Ma- 
tilda lost  herself  in  wonder  at  the  scene.  So 
many  people  hurrying  off,  meeting  their 
friends,  hastening  by  in  groups  and  pairs, 


148  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

and  getting  packed  into  little  crowds;  such 
numbers  of  coachmen  striving  for  customers 
at  the  doors,  with  their  calls  of  "  Carriage, 
sir?"  "Carriage,  ma'am?"  pattering  like 
hail.  It  was  wonderful,  and  very  amusing. 
If  this  was  only  the  station  house  of  the  rail- 
way, and  the  coming  in  of  one  train,  Matilda 
thought  New  York  must  be  a  very  large 
place  indeed.  Presently  Norton  came  back 
and  beckoned  them  out,  through  one  of  those 
clusters  of  clamorous  hackney  coachmen,  and 
Matilda  found  herself  bestowed  in  the  most 
luxurious  equipage  she  had  ever  seen  in  her 
life.  Surely  it  was  like  nothing  but  the  ap- 
pointments of  fairy  land,  this  carriage.  Ma- 
tilda sunk  in  among  the  springs  as  if  they  had 
been  an  arrangement  of  feathers ;  and  the 
covering  of  the  soft  cushions  was  nothing 
worse  than  satin,  of  dark  crimson  hue. 
Nothing  but  very  handsome  dresses  could  go 
in  such  a  carriage,  she  reflected  ;  she  would 
have  to  buy  an  extremely  neat  pair  of  boots  to 
go  with  the  dresses  or  the  carriage  either.  It 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  149 

was  Mrs  Lloyd's  carriage ;  and  Mrs.  Lloyd 
was  Mrs.  Laval's  mother. 

The  carriage  was  the  first  thing  that  took 
Matilda's  attention ;  but  after  that  she  fell  to 
an  eager  inspection  of  the  houses  and  streets 
they  were  passing  through.  These  changed 
rapidly,  she  found.  The  streets  grew  broad, 
the  houses  grew  high  ;  groceries  and  shops 
were  seldomer  to  be  seen,  and  were  of  much 
better  air  ;  markets  disappeared  ;  carmen  and 
carts  grew  less  frequent ;  until  at  last  all  these 
objectionable  things  seemed  to  be  left  behind, 
and  the  carriage  drew  up  before  a  door  which 
looked  upon  nothing  that  was  not  stately. 
Up  and  down,  as  far  as  Matilda  could  see, 
the  street  was  clean  and  splendid.  She  could 
see  this  in  one  glance,  almost  without  look- 
ing, as  she  got  out  of  the  carriage,  before 
Norton  hurried  her  in. 

She  felt  strange,  and  curious  ;  not  afraid  ; 
she  knew  the  sheltering  arms  of  her  friends 
would  protect  her.  It  was  a  doubtful  feeling, 
though,  with  which  she  stepped  on  the  mar- 


150  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

ble  floor  of  the  hall  and  saw  the  group  which 
were  gathered  round  Mrs.  Laval.  What 
struck  Matilda  at  first  was  the  beautiful  hall, 
or  room  she  would  have  called  it,  though  the 
stairs  went  up  from  one  side  ;  its  soft  warm 
atmosphere ;  the  rustle  of  silks  and  gleam  of 
colours,  and  the  gentle  bubbling  up  of  voices 
all  around  her.  But  she  stood  on  the  edge 
of  the  group.  Soon  she  could  make  more 
detailed  observations. 

That  stately  lady  in  black  silk  and  lace 
shawl,  she  was  Mrs.  Laval's  mother;  she 
heard  Mrs.  Laval  call  her  so.  Very  stately, 
in  figure  and  movement  too  ;  a  person  accus- 
tomed to  command  and  have  her  own  way, 
Matilda  instinctively  felt.  Now  she  had  her 
arms  round  Norton ;  she  was  certainly  very 
fond  of  him.  The  lady  with  lace  in  her 
gleaming  hair,  and  jewels  at  her  breast,  and 
the  dress  of  crimson  satin  falling  in  rich  folds 
all  about  her,  sweeping  the  marble,  that  must 
be  Mrs.  Laval's  sister.  She  looked  like  a 
person  who  did  not  do  anything  and  had  not 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  151 

anything  she  need  do,  like  Mrs.  Laval. 
Then  this  girl  of  about  her  own  age,  with  a 
very  bright  mischievous  face  and  a  dress  of 
sky  blue,  Matilda  knew  who  she  must  be ; 
would  they  like  each  other,  she  questioned  ? 
And  then  she  had  no  more  time  for  silent 
observations ;  Norton  called  upon  her,  and 
pulled  her  forward  into  the  group. 

"  Grandmamma,  you  have  not  seen  her," 
he  cried ;  "  you  have  not  seen  one  of  us. 
This  is  mamma's  pet,  and  my  —  darling." 
It  was  evident  the  boy's  thought  was  of 
"  daughter "  and  "  sister,"  but  that  a  tender 
feeling  stopped  his  tongue.  Mrs.  Lloyd  looked 
at  Matilda. 

"  I  have  heard  of  her,"  she  said. 

"  Yes,  but  you  must  kiss  her.  She  is  one 
of  us." 

"  She  is  mine"  said  Mrs.  Laval  meaningly, 
putting  both  arms  around  Matilda  and  draw- 
ing her  to  her  mother. 

The  stately  lady  stooped  and  kissed  the 
child,  evidently  because  she  was  thus  asked. 


152  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

"  Grandmamma,  she  is  to  have  half  my 
place  in  your  heart,"  said  Norton. 

'•  Will  you  give  it  up  to  her  ?  "  Mrs.  Lloyd 
asked. 

"  It  is  just  as  good  as  my  having  it,"  said 
Norton. 

Perhaps  he  would  have  presented  Matilda 
then  to  his  aunt,  but  that  lady  had  turned  off 
into  the  drawing  room ;  and  the  travellers 
mounted  the  stairs  with  Mrs.  Lloyd  to  see 
their  apartments  and  to  prepare  for  dinner. 
The  ladies  went  into  a  large  room  opening 
from  the  upper  hall;  Norton  and  the  girl 
Matilda  had  noticed  went  bounding  up  the 
second  flight  of  stairs. 

Mrs.  Laval  lay  down  on  a  couch,  and  said 
she  would  have  a  cup  of  tea  before  dressing. 
While  she  took  it,  Mrs.  Lloyd  sat  beside  her 
and  the  two  talked  very  busily.  Matilda,  left 
to  herself,  put  off  her  coat  and  hat  and  sat 
down  at  the  other  side  of  the  fire,  for  a  fire 
was  burning  in  the  grate,  and  pondered  the 
situation.  The  house  was  like  a  palace  in  a 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  153 

fairy  tale,  surely,  she  thought.  Her  eyes 
were  dazzled  with  the  glimmer  from  gildings 
and  mirrors  and  lamps  hanging  from  the  ceil- 
ings. Her  foot  fell  on  soft  carpets.  The 
hangings  of  the  bed  were  of  blue  silk.  The 
couches  were  covered  with  rich  worsted  work. 
Pictures  made  the  walls  dainty.  Beautiful 
things  which  she  could  not  examine  yet, 
stood  on  the  various  tables.  It  immediately 
pressed  on  Matilda's  attention,  that  to  be  of 
a  piece  with  all  this  elegance  and  not  out  of 
place  among  the  people  inhabiting  there,  she 
had  need  to  be  very  elegant  herself.  The 
best  dress  in  her  whole  little  stock  was  the 
brown  merino  she  had  worn  to  travel  in. 
She  had  thought  it  very  elegant  in  Shady- 
walk  ;  but  how  did  it  look  alongside  of  Miss 
Judy's  blue  silk  ?  Matilda  had  nothing  bet- 
ter, at  any  rate.  She  glanced  down  at  her 
boots,  to  see  how  they  would  do.  They 
were  her  best  Sunday  boots.  They  were 
neat,  she  concluded.  They  wanted  a  little 
brushing  from  dust ;  then  they  would  do 


154  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

pretty  well.  But  she  did  not  think  they  were 
elegant.  The  soles  of  them  were  rather  too 
thick  for  that.  At  this  point  her  attention 
was  drawn  to  what  was  saying  at  the  other 
side  of  the  fire. 

"  Do  the  children  dine  with  us?  " 

«  To-day." 

"  Not  in  ordinary  ?  " 

"It  is  bad  for  the  boys;  puts  them  out. 
One  o'clock  suits  them  a  great  deal  better. 
And  six  is  a  poor  hour  for  children  always. 
And  with  company  of  course  it  is  impossible ; 
and  that  makes  irregularity ;  and  that  is 
bad." 

"  I  suppose  it  is  best  so,"  said  Mrs.  Laval 
with  half  a  sigh.  "  What  room  is  Matilda  to 
have,  mother  ?  " 

"  Matilda  ?  —  O,  your  new  child.  You 
want  her  to  have  a  room  to  herself  ?  " 

«  Yes." 

"  I  will  let  her  have  the  little  front  corner 
room,  if  you  like.  There  is  room  enough." 

"  That  will  do,"  said  Mrs.  Laval.     "  Come, 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  155 

darling,  let  us  go  upstairs    and   look    at    it. 
Then  you  will  begin  to  feel  at  home." 

She  sprang  off  the  sofa,  and  taking  Ma- 
tilda's hand  they  mounted  together  the 
second  flight  of  stairs ;  wide,  uncarpeted, 
smooth,  polished  stairs  they  were ;  to  the  up- 
per hall.  Just  at  the  head  of  the  stairs  Mrs. 
Laval  opened  a  door.  It  let  them  into  a 
pretty  little  room ;  little  indeed  only  by  com- 
parison with  other  larger  apartments  of  the 
house ;  it  was  of  a  pleasant  size,  with  two 
great  windows;  and  being  a  corner  room,  its 
windows  looked  out  in  two  directions,  over 
two  several  city  views.  Matilda  had  no  time 
to  examine  them  just  then;  her  attention  was 
absorbed  by  the  room.  It  had  a  rich  carpet ; 
the  hangings  and  covering  of  the  bed  were 
dark  green ;  an  elegant  little  toilet  table  was 
furnished  with  crystal,  and  the  washcloset 
had  painted  green  china  dishes.  There  were 
pictures  here  too,  and  little  foot  cushions,  and 
a  beautiful  chest  of  drawers,  and  a  tall  ward- 
robe for  dresses.  The  room  was  full. 


156  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

This  will  do  very  nicely,"  said  Mrs.  Laval. 
"  You  wanted  a  south  window,  Matilda ;  here 
it  is.  I  think  you  will  like  this  room  better 
than  one  of  those  large  ones,  darling ;  they 
are  large  enough  for  you  to  get  lost  in.  See, 
here  is  the  gas  jet,  when  you  want  light ;  and 
here  are  matches,  Matilda.  And  now  you 
will  have  a  place  where  you  can  be  by  your- 
self when  you  wish  it ;  and  at  other  times 
you  can  come  down  to  me.  You  will  feel  at 
home,  when  you  get  established  here,  and 
have  some  dresses  to  hang  up  in  that  ward- 
robe. That  is  one  of  the  first  things  you  and 
I  must  attend  to.  I  could  not  do  it  at  Shady- 
walk.  So  come  down  now,  dear,  to  my 
room,  and  we  will  get  ready  for  dinner.  Are 
you  tired,  love  ?  " 

Matilda  met  and  answered  the  kiss  that 
ended  this  speech,  and  went  downstairs  again 
a  very  contented  child.  However,  all  her 
getting  ready  for  dinner  that  day  consisted 
in  a  very  thorough  brushing  of  her  short 
hair,  and  a  little  furtive  endeavour  to  get 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 


157 


rid  of  some  specks  of  dust  on  her  boots.  She 
sat  down  then  and  waited,  while  Mrs.  Laval 
changed  her  travelling  dress,  and  Mrs.  Bar- 
tholomew alternately  assisted  and  talked  to 
her.  That  elegant  crimson  satin  robe  swept 
round  the  room  in  a  way  that  was  very  im- 
posing to  Matilda.  She  could  not  help  feel- 
ing like  a  little  brown  thrush  in  the  midst  of 
a  company  of  resplendent  parrots  and  birds 
of  paradise.  But  she  did  not  much  care. 
Only  she  thought  it  would  be  very  pleasant 
to  have  the  wardrobe  upstairs  furnished  with 
a  set  of  dresses  to  correspond  somewhat 
with  her  new  splendid  surroundings.  Mrs. 
Bartholomew  had  not  spoken  to  her  yet,  nor 
anybody,  except  Mrs.  Laval's  mother.  Ma- 
tilda thought  herself  forgotten  ;  but  when  the 
ladies  were  about  to  go  downstairs,  Mrs. 
Laval  called  her  sister's  attention  to  the 
subject. 

"Judith,  this  is  my  new  child." 

Mrs.  Bartholomew  cast  a  comprehensive 
glance  at  Matilda,  or  all  over  her.  Matilda 


158  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

could  not  have  told  whether  she  had  looked 
at  her  until  then. 

"  Where  did  you  pick  her  up,  Zara  ?  " 

"I  did  not  pick  her  up,"  said  Mrs.  Laval, 
smiling  at  Matilda.  "  A  wave  wafted  her 
into  my  arms." 

"  What  sort  of  a  wave  ? "  said  the  other 
lady  dryly. 

"  No  matter  what  sort  of  a  wave.  You 
see  from  what  sort  of  a  shore  this  flower 
must  have  drifted." 

"  You  are  poetical,"  said  the  other,  laugh- 
ing slightly.  "  You  always  were.  Shall  we 
go  down  ?  " 

Mrs.  Laval  stretched  out  her  hand  to  Ma- 
tilda and  held  it  in  a  warm  clasp  as  they 
went  down  the  stairs ;  and  still  held  her  fast 
and  seated  her  by  herself  in  the  drawing 
room.  It  was  the  only  point  of  connection 
with  the  rest  of  the  world  that  Matilda  felt 
she  had  just  then.  Until  Norton  came  run- 
ning downstairs  with  his  two  cousins,  and 
entered  the  room. 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  159 

"  Come  here,  Judy,"  said  Mrs.  Laval. 
"  This  is  my  new  little  daughter,  Matilda. 
You  two  must  be  good  cousins  and  friends." 

Miss  Black-eyes  took  Matilda's  hand ;  but 
somehow  Matilda  could  perceive  neither  the 
friendship  nor  the  cousinship  in  the  touch 
of  it. 

"  Matilda  what  ?  "  Miss  Judith  asked.  Her 
aunt  hesitated  an  instant. 

"  She  has  not  learned  yet  to  do  without 
her  old  name.  Her  new  name  is  mine,  of 
course." 

Matilda  was  a  good  deal  startled  and  a 
little  dismayed.  Was  she  to  give  up  her  own 
name  then,  and  be  called  Laval?  she  had 
not  heard  of  it  before.  She  was  not  sure 
that  she  liked  it  at  all.  There  was  no  time 
to  think  about  it  now. 

"  David,"  Mrs.  Laval  went  on,  "  come  here. 
I  want  you  all  to  be  good  friends  as  soon  as 
possible." 

She  put  Matilda's  hand  in  his  as  she  spoke. 
But  David  said  never  a  word  ;  only  he  bowed 


l6o  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN, 

over  Matilda's  hand  in  the  most  calmly  po- 
lite manner,  and  let  it  drop.  He  was  not  shy, 
Matilda  thought,  or  he  could  not  have  made 
such  an  elegant  reverence ;  but  he  did  not 
speak  a  word.  His  aunt  laughed  a  little,  and 
yet  gave  a  glance  of  admiration  at  the  boy. 

"  You  are  not  changed,"  she  said. 

Changed  in  what?  Matilda  wondered  ;  and 
she  looked  to  see  what  she  could  make  out 
in  David  Bartholomew.  He  was  not  so  dark 
as  his  sister ;  he  had  rich  brown  hair ;  and 
the  black  eyes  were  not  snapping  and  spark- 
ling like  hers,  but  large,  lustrous,  proud,  and 
rather  gloomy,  it  seemed  to  the  little  stran- 
ger's fancy.  She  looked  away  again  ;  she  did 
not  like  him.  In  another  minute  they  were 
called  to  dinner. 

It  was  but  to  walk  across  the  hall,  and 
Matilda  found  herself  seated  at  the  most  im- 
posing board  she  had  ever  beheld.  Certainly 
everything  at  Mrs.  Laval's  table  was  beau- 
tiful and  costly ;  but  there  it  had  been  only  a 
table  for  two  or  three ;  no  company,  and  the 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  i6l 

simplest  way  of  the  house.  Here  there  was 
a  good  tableful,  and  a  large  table ;  and  the 
sparkle  of  glass  and  silver  quite  dazzled  the 
child's  unaccustomed  eyes.  How  much  sil- 
ver, and  what  brilliant  and  beautiful  glass ! 
She  wondered  at  the  profusion  of  forks  by 
her  own  plate,  and  almost  thought  the  waiter 
must  have  made  a  mistake ;  but  she  saw 
Norton  was  as  well  supplied.  The  lights, 
and  the  flowers,  and  the  fruit  in  the  centre 
of  the  table,  and  the  gay  silks  and  laces 
around  it,  and  all  the  appointments  of  the 
elegant  room,  almost  bewildered  Matilda. 
Yet  she  thought  it  was  very  pleasant  too, 
and  extremely  pretty ;  and  discovered  that  eat- 
ing dinner  was  a  great  deal  more  of  a  pleasure 
when  the  eyes  could  be  so  gratified  at  the 
same  time  with  the  taste.  However,  soup 
was  soup,  she  found,  to  a  hungry  little  girl. 
"  Pink,"  said  Norton,  after  he  had  swal- 
lowed his  soup,  — "  where  do  you  think  we 
will  go  first  ?  "  Norton  had  got  a  seat  be- 
side her  and  spoke  in  a  confidential  whisper. 
11 


1 62  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

"  I  am  going  with  your  mother  to-morrow," 
Matilda  returned  in  an  answering  whisper. 
"  So  she  said." 

"  That  won't  tire  you  out,"  said  Norton. 
"  After  she  goes,  or  before  she  goes,  you  and 
I  will  go.  Where  first  ?  " 

«  You  and  I  alone  ?  "  said  Matilda  softly. 

"Alone!" 

"  Norton,"  said  Matilda  very  softly,  "  I 
think  I  want  to  go  first  of  all  to  the  shoe- 
maker's." 

Norton  had  nearly  burst  out  into  a  laugh, 
but  he  crammed  his  napkin  against  his 
face. 

"You  dear  Pink!"  he  said;  "that  isn't 
anywhere.  That's  business.  I  mean  pleas- 
ure. You  see,  next  week  I  shall  begin  to  go 
to  school,  and  my  time  will  be  pretty  nicely 
taken  up,  except  Saturday.  We  have  got 
three  days  before  next  week.  And  you  have 
got  to  see  everything." 

k'  But  Norton,  I  do  not  know  what  there  is 
to  see." 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  163 

"  That's  true.  You  don't,  to  be  sure. 
Well  Pink,  there's  the  Park ;  but  we  must 
have  a  good  day  for  that ;  to-day  is  so  cold  it 
would  bite  our  noses.  We  can  go  every 
afternoon,  if  it's  good.  Then  there  is  the 
Museum ;  and  there  is  a  famous  Menagerie 
just  now." 

"  Oh  Norton ! "  —  said  Matilda. 

"Well?" 

"Do  you  mean  a  Menagerie  with  lions? 
and  an  elephant  ?  " 

"  Lions,  and  splendid  tigers,  David  says ; 
and  an  elephant,  and  a  hippopotamus ;  and 
ever  so  many  other  creatures  besides.  All  of 
them  splendid,  David  says." 

"  I  did  not  use  that  word,"  David  remarked 
from  the  other  side  of  the  table. 

"  All  right,"  said  Norton.  "  It  is  my  word. 
Then,  Pink,  we'll  pay  our  respects  to  the 
lions  and  tigers  the  first  thing.  After  the 
shoe"  — 

"  Hush,  Norton,"  said  Matilda.  "  You  for- 
get yourself." 


164  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

Norton  laughed,  pleased ;  for  Matilda's 
little  head  had  taken  its  independent  set  upon 
her  shoulders,  and  it  shewed  him  that  she 
was  feeling  at  ease,  and  not  shy  and  strange, 
as  he  had  feared  she  might.  In  truth  the 
lions  and  tigers  had  drawn  Matilda  out  of 
herself.  And  now  she  was  able  to  enjoy 
roast  beef  and  plum  pudding  and  ice  cream 
as  well  as  anybody,  and  perhaps  more ;  for 
to  her  they  were  an  unusual  combination  of 
luxuries.  Now  and  then  she  glanced  at  the 
other  people  around  the  table.  Mrs.  Lloyd 
always  seemed  to  her  like  a  queen ;  the  head 
of  the  house ;  and  the  head  of  such  a  house 
was  as  good  as  a  queen.  Judith  looked  like 
a  young  lady  who  took,  and  could  take,  a 
great  many  liberties  in  it.  David,  like  a 
grave,  reserved  boy  who  never  wanted  to 
take  one.  Mrs.  Bartholomew  seemed  a  luxu- 
rious fine  lady  ;  •  Matilda's  impression  was 
that  she  cared  not  much  for  anybody  or  any- 
thing except  herself  and  her  children.  And 
how  rich  they  all  must  be  !  Not  Mrs.  Lloyd 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  165 

alone ;  but  all  these.  Their  dress  shewed  it, 
and  their  talk,  and  their  air  still  more.  It 
was  the  air  of  people  who  wanted  nothing 
they  could  not  have,  and  did  not  know  what 
it  meant  to  want  anything  long.  Mrs.  Lloyd 
was  drinking  one  sort  of  wine,  Mrs.  Barthol- 
omew another,  and  Mrs.  Laval  another ; 
one  had  a  little  clear  wineglass,  another  a 
yellow  bowl-like  goblet,  much  larger ;  the 
third  had  a  larger  still.  Every  place  was 
provided  with  the  three  glasses,  Matilda 
saw.  Just  as  her  observations  had  got  thus 
far,  she  was  startled  to  see  Norton  sign  the 
servant  and  hold  his  claret  glass  to  be  filled. 

Matilda's  thoughts  went  into  a  whirl  im- 
mediately. She  had  not  seen  Norton  take 
wine  at  home ;  it  brought  trooping  round 
her,  by  contrast,  the  recollections  of  Shady- 
walk,  the  Sunday  school  room,  the  meetings 
of  the  Commission,  and  Mr.  Richmond,  and 
talk  about  temperance,  and  her  pledge  to  do 
all  she  could  to  help  the  cause  of  temperance. 
Now,  here  was  a  field.  Ye*,  and  there  was 


1 66  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

David  Bartholomew  on  the  other  side  of  the 
table,  he  also  was  just  filling  his  glass.  But 
what  could  Matilda  do  here  ?  Would  these 
boys  listen  to  her  ?  And  yet,  she  had  prom- 
ised to  do  all  she  could  for  the  cause  of  tem- 
perance. She  could  certainly  do  something, 
in  the  way  of  trying  at  least.  She  must. 
To  try,  is  in  everybody's  power.  But  now 
she  found  as  she  thought  about  it,  that  it 
would  be  very  difficult  even  to  try.  It  is 
inconceivable  how  unwilling  she  felt  to  say 
one  word  to  Norton  on  the  subject ;  and  as 
for  David !  —  Well,  she  need  not  think  of 
David  at  present ;  he  was  a  stranger.  If  she 
could  get  Norton  to  listen  —  But  she  could 
not  get  Norton  to  listen,  she  was  sure ;  and 
what  was  the  use  of  making  a  fuss  and  be- 
ing laughed  at  just  for  nothing  ?  Only,  she 
had  promised. 

The  working  of  these  thoughts  pretty  well 
spoiled  Matilda's  ice  cream.  There  was  a 
trembling  of  other  thoughts,  too,  around 
these,  that  were  also  rather  unwelcome. 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  167 

But  she  could  not  think  them  out  then.  The 
company  had  left  the  table  and  gathered  in 
another  room,  and  there  a  great  deal  of  talk 
and  discussion  of  many  things  went  on, 
including  winter  plans  for  the  children  and 
home  arrangements,  in  which  Matilda  was 
interested.  Shopping,  also,  and  what  stuffs 
and  what  colours  were  most  in  favour,  and 
fashions  of  making  and  wearing.  Matilda 
had  certainly  been  used  to  hear  talk  on  such 
subjects  in  the  days  of  her  mother's  life-time, 
when  the  like  points  were  eagerly  debated 
between  her  and  her  older  children.  But  then 
it  was  always  with  questions.  What  is  fash- 
ionable ;  and  What  can  we  manage  to  get  ? 
Now  and  here,  that  questioning  was  replaced 
by  calm  knowledge  and  certainty  and  the 
power  to  do  as  they  pleased.  So  the  subject 
became  doubly  interesting.  The  two  boys 
had  gone  off  together ;  and  the  two  girls,  mix- 
ing with  the  group  of  their  elders,  listened  and 
formed  their  own  opinions,  of  each  other  at 
least.  For  every  now  and  then,  the  black 


1 68  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

eyes  and  the  brown  eyes  met ;  glances  inquir- 
ing, determining,  but  almost  as  nearly  repel- 
lant  as  anything  else.  So  passed  the  evening ; 
and  Matilda  was  very  glad  when  it  was  time 
to  go  to  bed. 

Mrs.  Laval  went  with  her  to  her  pretty 
room,  and  saw  with  motherly  care  that  all  was 
in  order  and  everything  there  which  ought  to 
be  there.  The  room  was  warm,  though  no 
fire  was  to  be  seen ;  the  gas  was  lit ;  and  com- 
plete luxury  filled  every  corner  and  met  every 
want,  even  of  the  eye.  And  after  a  fond 
good  night,  Matilda  was  left  to  herself.  She 
was  in  a  very  confused  state  of  mind.  It 
was  a  strange  place ;  she  half  wished  they 
were  back  in  Shadywalk ;  but  with  that 
were  mixed  floating  visions  of  shopping  and 
her  filled  wardrobe,  visions  of  driving  in  the 
Park  with  Norton,  fancies  of  untold  wonder- 
ful things  to  be  seen  in  this  new  great  city, 
with  its  streets  and  its  shops  and  its  rich 
and  its  poor  people.  No,  she  could  not 
forego  the  seeing  of  these ;  she  was  glad  to 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  169 

be  in  New  York ;  were  there  not  the  Menag- 
erie and  Stewart's  awaiting  her  to-morrow? 
But  what  sort  of  a  life  she  was  to  live  here, 
and  how  far  it  would  be  possible  for  her  to  be 
like  the  Matilda  Englefield  of  Shady  walk  — 
why,  she  was  not  to  be  Matilda  Englefield 
at  all,  but  Laval.  Could  that  be  the  same  ? 
Slowly,  while  she  thought  all  this,  Matilda 
opened  her  little  trunk  and  took  out  her 
nightdress  and  her  comb  and  brush,  and  her 
Bible ;  and  then,  the  habit  was  as  fixed  as  the 
other  habit  of  going  to  bed,  she  opened  her 
Bible,  brought  a  pretty  little  table  that  was  in 
the  room,  put  it  under  the  gas  light,  and 
knelt  down  to  read  and  pray.  She  opened 
anywhere,  and  read  without  very  well  under- 
standing what  she  read  ;  the  thoughts  of  lions 
and  tigers,  and  green  poplin,  and  red  cash- 
mere, making  a  strange  web  with  the  lines 
of  Bible  thought,  over  which  her  eye  trav- 
elled. Till  her  eyes  came  to  a  word  so  plain, 
so  clear,  and  touching  her  so  nearly,  that  she 
all  at  once  as  it  were  woke  up  out  of  her 
maze. 


170  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

"  WJio  mind  earthly  things" 

What  is  that  ?  Must  one  not  mind  earthly 
things  ?  Then  she  went  back  to  the  begin- 
ning of  the  sentence,  to  see  better  what  it 
meant. 

"  For  many  walk,  of  whom  I  have  told  you 
often,  and  now  tell  you  even  weeping,  that 
they  are  the  enemies  of  the  cross  of  Christ : 
whose  end  is  destruction,  whose  God  is  their 
belly,  and  whose  glory  is  in  their  shame,  who 
mind  earthly  things." 

Must  one  not  mind  earthly  things  ?  thought 
Matilda.  How  can  one  help  minding  them  ? 
How  can  I  help  it?  All  the  people  in  this 
house  mind  nothing  else.  Neither  did  they 
all  at  home,  when  mother  was  alive,  mind 
anything  else.  Mr.  Richmond  does.  — 

She  went  back  now  to  the  beginning  of  the 
chapter  and  read  it  anew.  It  was  easier  to 
read  than  to  think.  The  chapter  was  the 
third  of  Philippians.  She  did  not  know  who 
wrote  it;  she  did  not  exactly  understand  a 
good  part  of  it ;  nevertheless  one  thing  was 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  171 

clear,  a  heart  set  on  something  not  earthly, 
and  minding  nothing  that  interfered  with  or 
did  not  help  that.  So  much  was  clear ;  and 
also  that  the  chapter  spoke  of  certain  people 
not  moved  by  a  like  spirit,  as  enemies  of  the 
cross  of  Christ.  It  was  the  hardest  reading, 
Matilda  thought,  she  had  ever  done  in  her 
Bible.  If  this  is  what  it  is  to  be  a  Christian, 
it  was  easier  to  be  a  Christian  when  she  was 
darning  lace  for  Mrs.  Candy  and  roasting 
coffee  beans  in  her  kitchen  for  Maria.  But 
she  did  not  wish  to  be  back  there.  Some 
way  could  be  found,  surely,  of  being  a  Chris- 
tian and  keeping  her  pretty  room  and  having 
her  wardrobe  filled.  And  here  Matilda  be- 
came so  sleepy,  the  fatigue  and  excitement 
of  this  long  day  settling  down  upon  her  now 
that  the  day  was  over,  that  she  could  neither 
think  nor  read  any  more.  She  was  obliged 
to  go  to  bed. 


CHAPTER   VI. 

r  I  "HE  second  of  December  rose  keen  and 
clear,  like  the  first ;  but  inside  Matilda's 
room  there  was  a  state  of  pleasant  summer 
temperature ;  she  could  hardly  understand 
that  it  was  cold  enough  outside  to  make  the 
pretty  frosting  on  her  window  panes  which 
hindered  the  view.  She  dressed  in  royal 
comfort,  and  in  a  delightful  stir  of  expecta- 
tion and  hope.  It  was  really  New  York ; 
and  she  was  going  to  Stewart's  to-day.  The 
cold  would  not  bite  her  as  it  used  to  do  in 
Shadywalk,  for  they  would  be  in  a  carriage. 

When  she  was  dressed  she  contrived  to 
clear  a  loophole  in  her  frosted  window,  and 
looked  out.  The  sun  shone  on  a  long,  clean, 
handsome  street,  lined  with  houses  that 
looked  as  if  all  New  York  were  made  of 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  173 

money.  Brick  and  stone  fronts  rose  to 
stately  heights,  as  .far  as  her  eye  could  see ; 
windows  were  filled  with  beautiful  large 
panes  of  glass,  like  her  own  window,  and  lace 
and  drapery  behind  them  testified  to  the  in- 
side adorning  and  beautifying.  There  could 
not  be  any  one  living  in  all  that  street  who 
was  not  rich ;  nothing  but  plenty  and  ease 
could  possibly  be  behind  such  house-fronts. 
Then  Matilda  saw  an  omnibus  going  down 
the  street ;  but  her  breath  dimmed  her  look- 
out place  and  she  had  to  give  it  up  for  that 
time.  It  was  her  hour  for  reading  and  pray- 
ing. Matilda  was  a  little  inclined  to  shrink 
from  it,  fearing  lest  she  might  come  upon 
some  other  passage  that  would  give  her 
trouble.  She  thought,  for  this  morning,  she 
would  turn  to  a  familiar  chapter,  which  she 
had  read  many  a  time,  and  where  she  had 
never  found  anything  to  confuse  her.  She 
began  the  fifth  of  Matthew.  But  she  had  read 
only  fifteen  verses,  and  she  came  to  this. 
"  Let  your  light  so  shine  before  men,  that 


174  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

they  may  see  your  good  works,  and   glorify 
your  Father  which  is  in  heaven." 

If  a  ray  of  the  very  sunshine,  pointed  and 
tipped  with  fire  like  a  spear,  so  that  it  could 
prick  her,  had  come  in  through  the  frosting 
on  the  window  pane  and  smote  upon  Ma- 
tilda's face,  she  would  not  more  keenly  have 
felt  the  touch.  It  had  never  touched  her  be- 
fore, that  verse,  with  anything  but  rose  leaf 
softness  ;  now  it  pricked.  Why  ?  The  little 
girl  was  troubled ;  and  leaning  her  elbows  on 
the  table  and  her  head  in  her  hands,  she  be- 
gan to  think.  And  then  she  began  to  pray. 
"  Let  your  light  shine."  The  light  must 
burn  if  it  was  to  shine ;  that  was  one  thing ; 
and  she  must  let  no  screen  come  between  the 
light  and  those  who  should  see  it.  Fear 
must  not  come  there,  nor  shame,  to  hide  or 
cover  the  light.  And  the  light  itself  must  be 
bright.  Nobody  would  see  a  dim  shining. 
By  and  by,  as  she  pondered  and  prayed,  with 
her  head  in  her  hands,  this  word  and  last 
night's  word  joined  themselves  together  ;  and 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 


175 


she  began  to  see,  that  "  minding  earthly 
things  "  would  act  to  hide  the  light  first,  and 
then  to  put  it  out.  So  far  she  got ;  but  the 
battle  was  only  set  in  array;  it  was  not 
fought  nor  gained,  when  she  was  called  down 
to  breakfast. 

The  rest  of  the  family  were  all  seated  at 
the  table  before  the  two  boys  came  in. 

"  Pink,"  Norton  burst  forth,  as  soon  as  he 
had  said  good  morning,  "  we  must  get  there 
at  feeding  time  !  " 

"  Here  you  are !  "  —  said  David  wag- 
gishly ;  and  Matilda  looking  up,  saw  Judith's 
black  eyes  all  on  fire  and  a  flash  of  the  same 
fun  in  her  brother's  face.  Those  proud  eyes 
could  sparkle,  then.  Her  look  passed  to  Nor- 
ton. But  he  was  as  cool  as  usual. 

"  Mamma,"  he  said,  "  I  am  going  to  take 
Pink  this  morning  to  the  Menagerie." 

"  You  had  better  wait  till  she  has  some- 
thing to  wear,  Norton." 

"  When  will  that  be,  ma'am  ?  It  won't 
take  long  will  it?" 


176  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

«  I  do  not  know." 

"  Mamma,  Pink  does  not  care,  and  I  do 
not  care.  She  has  never  seen  a  live  lion  in 
her  life  ;  and  it  will  not  make  any  difference 
with  the  lions.  I  guess  she  will  keep  warm. 
I  want  to  be  there  at  twelve  o'clock ;  or  I 
want  to  be  there  before.  They  feed  the  ani- 
mals at  twelve  o'clock,  and  they're  all  alive." 

"  We  feed  the  animals  here  at  one  o'clock," 
said  his  grandmother.  "  I  hope  you  will  re- 
member that." 

"  Do  you  want  to  go,  Matilda  ?  "  Mrs. 
Laval  asked. 

"  She  has  never  seen  a  lion,"  repeated  Nor- 
ton. 

"  Somebody  else  has  never  seen  a  mon- 
key," said  Judith. 

"  That  is  somebody  who  don't  live  in  the 
house  with  Judy  Bartholomew,"  Norton  re- 
turned. 

"  We  don't  want  to  see  a  bear,  either,"  said 
Miss  Judy  pouting. 

"  Well,  remember  and  be  at  home  for  lun- 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  177 

cheon,"  said   Mrs.   Laval.     "  I  want    Matilda 
after  that." 

The  breakfast  went  on  now  delightfully. 
Matilda  sometimes  lifted  her  eyes  to  look  at 
her  opposite  neighbours ;  they  had  a  fascina- 
tion for  her.  Judith  was  such  a  sprite  of 
mischief,  to  judge  from  her  looks ;  and  David 
was  so  utterly  unlike  Norton.  Norton  was 
always  acute  and  frank,  outspoken  when  he 
had  a  mind,  fearless  and  careless  at  all  times. 
Fearless  David  might  be,  but  not  careless, 
unless  his  face  belied  him ;  he  did  not  look  as 
if  it  were  often  his  pleasure  to  be  outspoken, 
or  to  shew  what  he  was  thinking  of.  And 
that  was  the  oddest  of  all,  that  he  did  not 
seem  lighthearted.  Matilda  fancied  he  was 
proud  ;  she  was  sure  that  he  was  reserved. 
In  the  family  gatherings  he  was  seen  but  not 
heard ;  and  she  thought  he  did  not  care  much 
for  what  was  going  on.  Nothing  escaped 
Judy's  ears  or  eyes  ;  and  nothing  was  serious 
with  her  which  she  could  turn  into  fun.  Her 
eyes  gave  a  funny  snap  now  and  then  when 
12 


178  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

they  met  Matilda's  eyes  across  the  table,  as 
if  she  had  her  own  thoughts  about  Matilda 
and  knew  half  of  Matilda's  thoughts  about 
her.  Matilda  hoped  she  would  not  take  it 
into  her  head  to  go  to  the  Menagerie. 

"  Norton,  I  believe  I'll  go  too,"  said  Judith 
the  next  minute. 

"  Where  ?  "  said  Norton. 

"  To  the  Menagerie.  Where  should  I 
go?" 

"All  right,"  said  Norton.  "But  if  you 
are  going  to  do  me  the  honour  to  go  with 
me,  you  must  wait  till  I  have  brought 
Matilda  back.  I  can't  take  care  of  both  of 
you." 

"  I  don't  want  you  to  take  care  of  me," 
said  Judy. 

"  I  know  that.  But  I  am  going  to  take 
care  of  Matilda." 

"  Why  cannot  you  take  care  of  both  of 
them  ?  "  his  grandmother  asked,  interrupting 
Judith. 

"  Make  Judith  tell  first  why  she  wants  to 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  179 

go,  grandmamma.  She  has  been  lots  of 
times." 

"  Grandmamma,"  said  Judy  with  her  eyes 
snapping,  "  I  want  to  see  a  new  sort  of 
wild  animal,  just  come,  and  to  see  how  it 
will  look  at  the  tigers." 

They  all  laughed,  but  Mrs.  Laval  put  her 
arm  round  Matilda  and  stooped  down  and 
kissed  her. 

"  Judith  is  a  wild  animal  herself,  isn't  she, 
dear  ?  She  is  a  sort  of  little  wild-cat.  But 
she  has  soft  paws  ;  they  don't  scratch." 

Matilda  was  not  quite  so  sure  of  this. 
However,  when  they  left  the  table  Judith  set 
about  gaining  her  point  in  earnest ;  but  Nor- 
ton was  not  to  be  won  over.  He  was  going 
with  Matilda  alone,  he  said,  the  first  time; 
and  so  he  did. 

It  was  all  enjoyment  then,  as  soon  as  Ma- 
tilda and  Norton  left  the  house  together. 
Matilda  was  in  a  new  world.  Her  eyes  were 
busy  making  observations  everywhere. 

"  How  beautiful  the  houses  are,  Norton," 


l8o  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

she  said,  when  they  had  gone  a  block  or  two. 
"  There  are  not  many  poor  people  in  New 
York,  are  there?" 

"  Well,  occasionally  you  see  one,"  said 
Norton. 

"  I  don't  see  anything  that  looks  like  one. 
Norton,  why  do  they  have  the  middle  of  the 
street  covered  with  those  round  stones? 
They  make  such  a  racket  when  the  carts  and 
carriages  go  over  them.  It  is  very  disagree- 
able." 

"  Is  it  ?  "  said  Norton.  «  You  won't  hear 
it  after  you  have  been  here  a  little  while." 

"  Not  hear  it  ?  But  why  do  they  have  it 
so,  Norton  ?  " 

"Why  Pink,  just  think  of  the  dust  we 
should  have,  and  the  mud,  if  it  was  all  like 
Shadywalk,  and  these  thousands  of  wheels 
cutting  into  it  all  the  time." 

Matilda  was  silenced.  One  difference 
brings  on  another,  she  was  learning  to  find 
out.  But  now  Norton  hailed  a  street  car 
and  they  got  into  it.  The  warmth  of  the 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  i8l 

car  was  very  pleasant  after  the  keen  wind  in 
the  streets.  And  here  also  the  people  who 
filled  it,  though  most  of  them  certainly  not 
rich  people,  and  many  very  far  from  that,  yet 
looked  to  a  certain  degree  comfortable.  But 
just  as  Norton  and  Matilda  got  out,  and  were 
about  to  enter  the  building,  where  an  enor- 
mous painted  canvass  with  a  large  brown 
lion  upon  it  told  that  the  Menagerie  was  to 
be  seen,  Matilda  stopped  short.  A  little  rag- 
ged boy,  about  as  old  as  herself,  offered  her  a 
handful  of  black  round-headed  pins.  What 
did  he  mean  ?  Matilda  looked  at  him,  and 
at  the  pins. 

"Come  on,"  cried  Norton.  «  What  is  that? 
—  No,  we  don't  want  any  of  your  goods  just 
now ;  at  least  I  don't.  Come  in,  Pink.  You 
need  not  stop  to  speak  to  everybody  that 
stops  to  speak  to  you." 

"  What  did  he  want,  Norton?  that  boy." 

"  Wanted  to  sell  hairpins.  Didn't  you 
see  ?  " 

Matilda  cast  a  look  back  at  the  sideway, 


1 82  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

where  the  boy  was  trying  another  passenger 
for  custom ;  but  Norton  drew  her  on,  and  the 
boy  was  forgotten  in  some  extraordinary 
noises  she  heard ;  she  had  heard  them  as 
soon  as  she  entered  the  door ;  strange, 
mingled  noises,  going  up  and  down  a  scale 
of  somewhat  powerful,  unearthly  notes.  She 
asked  Norton  what  they  were  ? 

"  The  lions,  Pink,"  said  Norton,  with  in- 
tense satisfaction.  "  The  lions,  and  the  rest 
of  the  company.  Come  —  here  they  are." 

And  having  paid  his  fee,  he  pushed  open 
a  swinging  baize  door,  and  they  entered  a 
very  long  room  or  gallery,  where  the  sounds 
became  to  be  sure  very  unmistakable.  They 
almost  terrified  Matilda.  So  wildly  were 
mingled  growls  and  cries  and  low  roarings, 
all  in  one  restless,  confused  murmur.  The 
next  minute  she  all  but  forgot  the  noise.  She 
was  looking  at  two  superb  Bengal  tigers,  a 
male  and  a  female,  in  one  large  cage.  They 
were  truly  superb.  Large  and  lithe,  magnifi- 
cent in  port  and  action,  beautiful  in  the 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  183 

colour  and  marking  of  their  smooth  hides. 
But  restless  ?  That  is  no  word  strong 
enough  to  fit  the  ceaseless  impatient  move- 
ment with  which  the  male  tiger  went  from 
one  corner  of  his  iron  cage  to  the  other 
corner,  and  back  again ;  changing  constantly 
only  to  renew  the  change.  One  bound  in  his 
native  jungle  would  have  carried  him  over 
many  times  the  space,  which  now  he  paced 
eagerly  or  angrily  with  a  few  confined  steps. 
The  tigress  meanwhile  knew  his  mood  and 
her  wisdom  so  well  that  she  took  care  never 
to  be  in  his  way ;  and  as  the  cage  was  not 
large  enough  to  allow  her  mate  to  turn  round 
in  the  corner  where  she  stood,  she  regularly 
took  a  flying  leap  over  his  back  whenever  he 
came  near  that  corner.  Again  and  again  and 
again,  the  one  lordly  creature  trod  from  end 
to  end  the  floor  of  his  prison ;  and  every  time, 
like  a  feather,  so  lightly  and  gracefully,  the 
huge  powerful  form  of  the  other  floated  over 
his  back  and  alighted  in  the  other  corner. 
"  Do  they  keep  doing  that  all  the  time!" 


184  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

said  Matilda,  when  she  had  stood  spell-bound 
before  the  cage  for  some  minutes. 

"  It's  near  feeding  time,"  said  Norton.  "  I 
suppose  they  know  it  and  it  makes  them 
worry.  Or  else  know  they  are  hungry ; 
which  answers  just  as  well." 

"  Poor  creatures !  "  said  Matilda.  "  If  that 
tiger  could  break  his  cage,  now,  how  far  do 
you  think  he  could  jump,  Norton  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know,"  said  Norton.  "  As  far  as 
to  you  or  me,  I  guess.  Or  else  over  all  our 
heads,  to  get  at  that  coloured  woman." 

The  woman  was  sweeping  the  floor,  a  little 
way  behind  the  two  talkers,  and  heard  them. 
"  Yes !  "  she  said,  "  he'd  want  me  fust  thing, 
sure." 

"  Why  ?  "  whispered  Matilda. 

"  Likes  the  dark  meat  best,"  said  Norton. 
"  Fact,  Pink ;  they  say  they  do." 

Matilda  gazed  with  a  new  fascination  on 
the  beautiful,  terrible  creatures.  Could  it  be 
possible,  that  those  very  animals  had  actually 
tasted  "  dark  meat "  at  home  ? 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  185 

"  Yes,"  said  Norton  ;  "  there  are  hundreds 
of  the  natives  carried  off  and  eaten  by  the 
tigers,  I  heard  a  gentleman  telling  mother, 
every  year,  in  the  province  of  Bengal  alone. 
Come,  Pink  ;  we  can  look  at  these  fellows 
again ;  I  want  you  to  see  some  of  the  others 
before  they  are  fed." 

They  went  on,  with  less  delay,  till  they 
came  to  the  Russian  bear.  At  the  great 
blocks  of  ice  in  his  cage  Matilda  marvelled. 

"  Is  he  so  warm  !  "  she  said.  "  In  this 
weather?" 

"  This  room's  pretty  comfortable,"  said 
Norton ;  "  and  to  him  I  suppose  it's  as  bad 
as  a  hundred  and  fifty  degrees  of  the  ther- 
mometer would  be  to  us.  He's  accustomed 
to  fifty  degrees  below  zero." 

"  I  don't  know  what  '  below  zero  '  means, 
exactly,"  said  Matilda.  "  But  then  those 
great  pieces  of  ice  cannot  do  him  much  good?" 

"  Not  much,"  said  Norton. 

"  And  he  must  be  miserable,"  said  Matilda ; 
"just  that  we  may  look  at  him." 


1 86  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

"  Do  you  wish  he  was  back  again 
where  he  came  from  ? "  said  Norton ;  "  all 
comfortable,  with  ice  at  his  back  and  ice 
under  his  feet  ;  where  we  couldn't  see 
him?" 

"  But  Norton,  isn't  it  cruel  ?  " 

«  Isn't  what  cruel  ?  " 

"  To  have  him  here,  just  for  our  pleasure  ? 
I  am  very  glad  to  see  him,  of  course." 

"  I  thought  you  were,"  said  Norton. 
"  Why  I  suppose  we  cannot  have  anything, 
Pink,  without  somebody  being  uncomfortable 
for  it,  somewhere.  I  am  very  often  uncom- 
fortable myself." 

Matilda  was  inclined  to  laugh  at  him  ;  but 
there  was  no  time.  She  had  come  face  to 
face  with  the  lions.  Except  for  those  low 
strange  roars,  they  did  not  impress  her  as 
much  as  their  neighbours  from  Bengal.  But 
she  studied  them,  carefully  enough  to  please 
Norton,  who  was  making  a  very  delight  to 
himself,  and  a  great  study,  of  her  pleasure. 

Further  on,  Matilda  was  brought  to  a  long 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  187 

stand  again  before  the  wolfs  cage.  It  was  a 
small  cage,  so  small  that  in  turning  round  he 
rubbed  his  nose  against  the  wall  at  each  end ; 
for  the  ends  were  boarded  up ;  and  the  creat- 
ure did  nothing  but  turn  round.  At  each 
end  of  the  cage  there  was  a  regular  spot  on 
the  boards,  made  by  his  nose  as  he  lifted  it 
a  little  to  get  round  the  more  easily,  and  yet 
not  enough  to  avoid  touching.  Yet  he  went 
round  and  round,  restlessly,  without  stopping 
for  more  than  an  instant  at  a  time. 

"  Poor  fellow,  poor  fellow ! "  was  again 
Matilda's  outcry.  "  He  keeps  doing  that  all 
the  time,  Norton ;  see  the  places  where  his 
nose  rubs." 

"  Don't  say  *  poor  fellow '  about  a  wolf," 
said  Norton. 

"  Why  not  ?     He  is  only  an  animal." 

"  He  is  a  wicked  animal." 

"  Why  Norton,  he  don't  know  any  better 
than  to  be  wicked.  Do  you  think  some  ani- 
mals are  really  worse  than  others  ?  " 

"  I'm  certain  of  it,"  said  Norton. 


1 88  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

"  But  they  only  do  what  it  is  their  nature 
to  do." 

"  Yes,  and  different  animals  have  different 
natures.  Now  look  at  that  wolfs  eyes ;  see 
what  cruel,  sly,  bad  eyes  they  are.  Think 
what  beautiful  eyes  a  horse  has ;  a  good 
horse." 

"  And  sheep  have  beautiful  eyes,"  said  Ma- 
tilda. 

"  And  pigs  have  little,  ugly,  dirty  eyes ; 
mean  and  wicked  too.  You  need  not  laugh ; 
it  is  true." 

"  I  don't  know  how  pigs'  eyes  look,"  said 
Matilda.  "  But  it  is  very  curious.  For  of 
course  they  do  not  know  any  better ;  so  how 
should  they  be  wicked  ?  Those  tigers,  they 
looked  as  if  they  hadn't  any  heart  at  all. 
Don't  you  think  a  dog  has  a  heart,  Nor- 
ton ?  " 

Norton  laughed,  and  pulled  her  on  to  a 
cage  at  a  little  distance  from  the  wolf,  where 
there  were  a  party  of  monkeys.  And  next 
door  to  them  was  a  small  ape  in  a  cell  alone. 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  189 

Matilda  forgot  everything  else  here.  These 
creatures  were  so  inimitably  odd,  sly  and 
comical ;  had  such  an  air  of  knowing  what 
they  were  about,  and  expecting  you  to  under- 
stand it  too ;  -looking  at  you  as  though  they 
could  take  you  into  their  confidence,  if  it  were 
worth  while ;  it  was  impossible  to  get  away 
from  them.  Norton  had  some  nuts  in  his 
pocket;  with  these  he  and  the  monkeys  made 
great  game ;  while  the  little  ape  raked  in  the 
straw  litter  of  his  cage  to  find  any  stray  seeds 
or  bits  of  food  which  might  have  sifted  down 
through  it  to  the  floor,  managing  his  long 
hand-like  paw  as  gracefully  as  the  most 
elegant  lady  could  move  her  dainty  fingers. 
Matilda  and  Norton  staid  with  the  monkeys, 
till  the  feeding  hour  had  arrived ;  then  Nor- 
ton hurried  back  to  the  tigers.  A  man  was 
coming  the  rounds  with  a  basket  full  of  great 
joints  of  raw  meat ;  and  it  was  notable  to 
see  how  carefully  he  had  to  manage  to  let 
the  tiger  have  his  piece  before  the  tigress  got 
hers.  He  watched  and  waited,  till  he  got  a 


190  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

chance  to  thrust  the  meat  into  the  cage  at 
the  end  where  the  tiger's  paw  would  the  next 
instant  be. 

"  Why  ?  "  Matilda  asked  Norton. 

"  There'd  be  an  awful  fight,  I  guess,  if  he 
didn't,"  said  Norton ;  "  and  that  other  creat- 
ure would  stand  a  chance  to  get  whipped ; 
and  her  coat  would  be  scratched ;  that's  all 
the  man  cares  for." 

"  And  is  that  the  reason  the  tigress  keeps 
out  of  the  tiger's  way  so  ?  " 

"  Of  course.  Some  people  would  say,  I 
suppose,  that  she  was  amiable." 

"  I  never  should,  to  look  in  her  face,"  said 
Matilda  laughing.  "  Tigers  certainly  are 
wicked.  But,  they  do  not  know  any  better. 
How  can  it  be  wickedness  ?  " 

"  Now  come,  Pink,"  said  Norton ;  "  we 
have  got  to  be  home  by  one,  you  know,  and 
there's  a  fellow  you  haven't  seen  yet;  the 
hippopotamus.  We  must  go  into  another 
place  to  see  him." 

He  was  by  himself,  in  a  separate  room,  as 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  191 

Norton  had  said,  where  a  large  tank  was 
prepared  and  filled  with  water  for  his  accom- 
modation. Matilda  looked  at  him  a  long 
time  in  silence  and  with  great  attention. 

"  Do  you  know,  Norton,"  she  said,  "  this  is 
the  behemoth  the  Bible  speaks  about  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know  at  all,"  said  Norton.  "  How 
do  you  know  ?  " 

"  Mr.  Richmond  says  so  ;  he  says  people 
have  found  out  that  it  is  so.  But  he  don't 
seem  to  me  very  big,  Norton,  for  that." 

The  keeper  explained,  that  the  animal  was 
a  young  one  and  but  half  grown. 

"  How  tremendously  ugly  he  is ! "  said 
Norton. 

"  And  what  a  wonderful  number  of  differ- 
ent animals  there  are  in  the  world,"  said  Ma- 
tilda. "  This  is  unlike  anything  I  ever  saw. 
I  wonder  why  there  are  such  a  number  ?  " 

"  And  so  many  of  them  not  good  for  any- 
thing," said  Norton. 

"  Oh  Norton,  you  can't  say  that,  you 
know." 


192  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

"Why  not?  This  fellow,  for  instance; 
what  is  he  good  for  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know  ;  and  you  don't  know.  But 
that's  just  it,  Norton.  You  don't  know." 

"  Well,  what  are  lions  and  tigers  good 
for  ?  "  said  Norton.  "  I  suppose  we  know 
about  them.  What  are  they  good  for  ?  " 

"  Why  Norton,  I  can't  tell,"  said  Matilda. 
"  I  would  very  much  like  to  know.  But  they 
must  be  good  for  something." 

"  To  eat  up  people,  and  make  the  places 
where  they  live  a  terror,"  said  Norton. 

"  I  don't  know,"  said  Matilda,  with  a  very 
puzzled  look  on  her  little  face.  "  It  seems  so 
strange,  when  you  think  of  it.  And  those 
great  serpents,  Norton,  that  live  where 
the  lions  and  tigers  live ;  they  are  worse 
yet." 

"  Little  and  big,"  said  Norton.  "  I  do  de- 
spise a  snake !  " 

"  And  crocodiles,"  said  Matilda.  "  And 
wolves,  and  bears.  I  wonder  if  the  Bible  tells 
anything  about  it." 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 


193 


«  The  Bible  don't  tell  everything,  Pink," 
said  Norton  laughing. 

"  No,  but  I  remember  now  what  it  does 
say,"  said  Matilda.  "  It  says  that  God  saw 
everything  that  he  had  made,  and  it  was  very 
good." 

Norton  looked  with  a  funny  look  at  his 
little  companion,  amused  and  yet  with  a 
kind  of  admiration  mixed  with  his  amuse- 
ment. 

"  I  wonder  how  you  and  David  would  get 
along,"  he  remarked.  "  He  is  as  touchy  on 
that  subject  as  you  are." 

«  What  subject  ?  "  said  Matilda.  "  The 
Bible  ?  " 

"  The  Old  Testament.  The  Jewish  Script- 
ures. Not  the  New  !  Don't  ever  bring  up 
the  New  Testament  to  him,  Pink,  unless  you 
want  stormy  weather." 

"  Is  he  bad-tempered  ?  "  Matilda  asked 
curiously. 

"He's  Jewish-tempered,"  said  Norton. 
"  He  has  his  own  way  of  looking  at  things, 
13 


194  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

and  he  don't  like  yours.  I  mean,  anybody's 
but  his  own.  What  a  quantity  it  must  take 
to  feed  this  enormous  creature  !  " 

"  You  may  take  your  affidavit  of  that !  " 
said  the  keeper,  who  was  an  Irishman. 
"  Faith,  I  think  he's  as  bad  as  fifty  men." 

"  What  do  you  give  him  ?  " 

"  Well,  he  belongs  to  the  vegetable  king- 
dom intirely,  ye  see,  sir." 

"  He's  a  curious  water-lily,  isn't  he  ? " 
said  Norton  low  to  Matilda.  But  that  was 
more  than  either  of  them  could  stand,  and 
they  turned  away  and  left  the  place  to 
laugh.  It  was  time  then,  they  found,  to  go 
home. 

A  car  was  not  immediately  in  sight  when 
they  came  out  into  the  street,  and  Norton 
and  Matilda  walked  a  few  blocks  rather  than 
stand  still.  It  had  grown  to  be  a  very  disa- 
greeable day.  The  weather  was  excessively 
cold,  and  a  very  strong  wind  had  risen; 
which  now  went  careering  along  the  streets, 
catching  up  all  the  dust  of  them  in  turn,  and 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  195 

before  letting  it  drop  again  whirling  it  furi- 
ously against  everybody  in  its  way.  Matilda 
struggled  along,  but  the  dust  came  in  thick 
clouds  and  filled  her  eyes  and  mouth  and 
nose  and  lodged  in  all  her  garments.  It 
seemed  to  go  through  everything  she  had  on, 
and  with  the  dirt  came  the  cold.  Shadywalk 
never  saw  anything  like  this !  As  they  were 
crossing  one  of  the  streets  in  their  way,  Ma- 
tilda stopped  short  just  before  setting  her 
foot  on  the  curb-stone.  A  little  girl  with  a 
broom  in  her  hand  stood  before  her  and  held 
out  her  other  hand  for  a  penny.  The  child 
was  ragged,  and  her  rags  were  of  the  colour 
of  the  dust  which  filled  everything  that 
day;  hair  and  face  and  dress  were  all  of  one 
hue. 

"  Please,  a  penny,"  she  said,  barring  Ma- 
tilda's way. 

"Norton,  have  you  got  a  penny?"  said 
Matilda  bewildered. 

"  Nonsense !  "  said  Norton,  "  we  can't  be 
bothered  to  stop  for  all  the  street-sweepers 


196  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

we  meet.  Come  on,  Pink."  He  seized 
Matilda's  hand,  and  she  was  drawn  on,  out 
of  the  little  girl's  range,  before  she  could  stop 
to  think  about  it.  Two  streets  further  on, 
they  crossed  an  avenue  ;  and  here  Matilda 
saw  two  more  children  with  brooms,  a  boy 
and  a  girl.  This  time  she  saw  what  they 
were  about.  They  were  sweeping  the  cross- 
ing clean  for  the  feet  of  the  passers-by.  But 
their  own  feet  were  bare  on  the  stones.  The 
next  minute  Norton  had  hailed  a  car  and  he 
and  Matilda  got  in.  Her  eyes  and  mouth 
were  so  full  of  dust  and  she  was  so  cold,  it 
was  a  little  while  before  she  could  ask  ques- 
tions comfortably. 

"  What  are  those  children  you  wouldn't 
let  me  speak  to  ?  "  she  said,  as  soon  as  she 
was  a  little  recovered. 

"  Street-sweepers,"  said  Norton.  "  Regular 
nuisances !  The  police  ought  to  take  them 
up,  and  shut  them  up." 

«  Why,  Norton  ?  " 

"  Why  ?  why  because  they're  such  a  nui- 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 


I97 


sance.  You  can't  walk  a  half  mile  without 
having  half  a  dozen  of  them  holding  out 
their  hands  for  pennies.  A  fellow  can't 
carry  his  pocket  full  of  pennies  and  keep  it 
full ! " 

"  But  they  sweep  the  streets,  don't 
they?" 

"  The  crossings  ;  yes.  I  wish  they  didn't. 
They  are  an  everlasting  bother." 

"  But  Norton,  isn't  it  nice  to  have  the 
crossings  swept?  I  thought  it  was  a  great 
deal  pleasanter  than  to  have  to  go  through 
the  thick  dust  and  dirt  which  was  everywhere 
else." 

"  Yes,  but  when  they  come  every  block  or 
two  ?  "  said  Norton. 

"  Are  there  so  many  of  them  ?  " 

"  There's  no  end  to  them,"  said  Norton. 

"  But  at  any  rate,  there  are  just  as  many 
crossings,"  said  Matilda.  "  And  they  must 
be  either  dirty  or  clean." 

"  I  can  get  along  with  the  crossings,"  said 
Norton. 


198  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

"  Well,  your  boots  are  thick.  Haven't 
those  children  any  way  to  get  a  living  but 
such  a  way  ?  " 

"  Of  course  not,  or  they  wouldn't  do  that, 
I  suppose." 

"  But  their  feet  were  bare,  Norton ;  they 
were  bare,  on  those  cold  dirty  stones." 

"  Dirt  is  nothing,"  said  Norton,  buttoning 
up  his  great  coat  comfortably.  He  had  just 
loosened  it  to  get  at  some  change  for  the  car 
fare. 

"  Dirt  is  nothing  ?  "  repeated  Matilda  look- 
ing at  him. 

"  I  mean,  Pink,"  said  he  laughing,  "  it  is 
nothing  to  them.  They  are  as  dirty  as  they 
can  be  already ;  a  little  more  or  less  makes  no 
difference." 

"  I  wonder  if  they  are  as  cold  as  they  can 
be,  too,"  said  Matilda  meditatively. 

«  No  ! "  said  Norton.  "  Not  they.  They 
are  used  to  it.  They  don't  feel  it." 

"  How  can  you  tell,  Norton  ?  " 

"  I  can  tell.      I  can  see.     They  are  jolly 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 


I99 


enough  sometimes ;  when  they  aren't  boring 
for  cents." 

"But  that  little  girl,  Norton,  — all  of  them, 
—  they  hadn't  much  on  !  " 

"  No,"  said  Norton  ;  «  I  suppose  not.  It's 
no  use  to  look  and  think  about  it,  Pink. 
They  are  accustomed  to  it ;  it  isn't  what  it 
would  be  to  you.  Don't  think  about  it. 
You'll  be  always  seeing  sights  in  New  York. 
The  best  way  is  not  to  see." 

But  Matilda  did  think  about  it  "Not 
what  it  would  be  to  her  "  !  why,  it  would  kill 
her,  very  quickly.  Of  course  it  must  be  not 
exactly  so  to  these  children,  since  they  did 
not  die;  but  what  was  it  to  them?  Not 
warmth  and  comfort ;  not  a  pleasant  spend- 
ing of  time  for  pleasure. 

"Norton,"  she  began  again  just  as  they 
were  getting  out  of  the  car,  "  it  seems  to  me 
that  if  those  children  sweep  the  streets,  it  is 
right  to  give  them  pay  for  it.  They  are  try- 
ing to  earn  something." 

"  You  can't,"  said  Norton.     "  There  are  too 


200  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

many  of  them.  You  cannot  be  putting  your 
hand  in  your  pocket  for  pennies  all  the  while, 
and  stopping  under  the  heels  of  the  horses. 
I  do  once  in  a  while  give  them  something. 
You  can't  be  doing  it  always." 


CHAPTER     VII. 

"1VTORTON  asked  to  be  allowed  to  go  with 
the  shopping  party,  which  his  mother 
refused.  To  Matilda's  disappointment,  she 
took  Miss  Judy  instead.  Matilda  would 
rather  have  had  any  other  one  of  the  house- 
hold. However,  nothing  could  spoil  the 
pleasure  of  driving  to  Stewart's.  To  know  it 
so  cold,  and  yet  feel  so  comfortable ;  to  see  how 
the  dust  flew  in  whirlwinds  and  the  wind 
caught  people  and  staggered  them,  and  yet 
not  to  be  touched  by  a  breath ;  to  see  how 
the  foot  travellers  had  to  fight  with  both  wind 
and  dust,  and  to  feel  at  the  same  time  the 
easy  security,  the  safe  remove  from  every- 
thing so  ugly  and  disagreeable,  which  they 
themselves  enjoyed  behind  the  glass  of  their 
Clarence  ;  it  was  a  very  pleasant  experience. 


202  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

The  other  two  did  not  seem  to  enjoy  it ;  they 
were  accustomed  to  the  sensation,  or  it  had 
ceased  to  be  one  for  them.  Matilda  was  in 
a  state  of  delight  every  foot  of  the  way. 
This  was  what  she  had  come  to,  this  safety 
and  ease  and  elegance  and  immunity.  She 
was  higher  than  the  street  or  the  street-goers, 
by  just  so  much  as  the  height  of  the  axletree 
of  the  carriage.  How  about  those  little  dust 
covered  street-sweepers  ? 

The  thought  of  them  jarred.  There  was 
nothing  between  them  and  the  roughest  of 
the  rough.  How  came  they  to  be  there,  at 
the  street  corners,  and  Matilda  here,  behind 
these  clear  plates  of  glass  which  enclosed  the 
front  of  the  carriage  ? 

"How  very  disagreeable  it  is  to  day!" 
Mrs.  Laval  said  with  a  shudder.  "  This  is 
some  of  New  York's  worst  weather." 

"  It's  just  horrid!  "  said  Judy. 

"  I  would  not  take  a  walk  to-day,  for  all  I 
am  worth,"  the  lady  went  on.  "  There  is  one 
thing;  there  will  be  fewer  people  out,  and 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  203 

we  shall  not  have  to  wait  so  fearfully  long  to 
be  served." 

The  carriage  stopped  before  a  large  white 
building,  and  Matilda  followed  the  others  in, 
full  of  curiosity  and  eager  pleasure.  In 
through  the  swinging  doors,  and  then  through 
such  a  crowd  of  confusion  that  she  could 
think  of  nothing  but  to  keep  close  behind 
Mrs.  Laval ;  till  they  all  stopped  at  a  counter 
and  Mrs.  Laval  sat  down.  What  a  wonderful 
place  it  seemed  to  Matilda !  A  small  world 
that  was  all  shops  —  or  one  shop ;  and  the 
only  business  of  that  world  was  buying  and 
selling  things  to  wear.  Just  at  this  counter 
people  were  getting  silk  dresses,  it  appeared ; 
here,  and  all  round  the  room  in  which  Mrs. 
Laval  was  seated ;  blue  and  rose  silks  were 
displayed  in  one  part ;  black  silks  before 
some  customers ;  figured  and  parti-coloured 
silks  were  held  up  to  please  others ;  what  col- 
our was  there  not  ?  and  what  beauty  ?  Ma- 
tilda found  that  whatever  Mrs.  Laval  wanted 
of  her  that  afternoon,  it  was  not  any  help  in 


204  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

making  her  purchases ;  and  she  was  quite  at 
liberty  to  use  her  eyes  upon  everything. 
The  beautiful  goods  on  the  counters  were 
the  great  attraction,  however  ;  Matilda  could 
not  look  away  much  from  the  lustre  of  the 
crimson  and  green  and  blue  and  tawny  and 
grey  and  lavender  which  were  successively 
or  together  exhibited  for  Mrs.  Laval's  be- 
hoof; and  she  listened  to  find  out  if  she 
could  by  the  quantities  ordered,  which  of 
them,  if  any,  were  for  herself.  She  was 
pretty  sure  that  a  dark  green  and  a  crimson 
had  that  destination  ;  and  her  little  heart  beat 
high  with  pleasure. 

From  the  silk  room  they  went  on  to  an- 
other where  the  articles  were  not  interesting 
to  look  at ;  and  Matilda  discovered  that  the 
coming  and  going  people  were.  She  turned 
her  back  upon  the  counter  and  watched  the 
stream  as  it  flowed  past  and  around  her. 
Miss  Judith  also  here  found  herself  thrown 
out  of  amusement,  and  came  round  to  Ma- 
tilda. They  had  hardly  spoken  to  each  other 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  205 

hitherto.  Now  Miss  Judy's  eye  first  went 
up  and  down  the  little  figure  which  was  such 
a  new  one  in  her  surroundings.  Matilda 
knew  it,  but  she  could  bear  it. 

"  You  were  never  here  before  ?  "  said  her 
companion. 

"  Never,"  Matilda  answered. 

«  What  do  you  think  of  it  ?  " 

"  I  think  they  have  nice  things  here,"  said 
Matilda. 

Judith  did  not  at  all  know  what  to  make 
of  this  answer. 

"  What  is  aunt  Zara  going  to  get  for 
you  ?  " 

"  I  do  not  know  —  some  dresses,  I  think." 

Judith's  eye  ran  up  and  down  Matilda's 
dress  again.  "  That  was  made  in  the  coun- 
try, wasn't  it  ?  " 

"  Mrs.  Laval  had  it  made." 

"  Yes,  but  you  will  want  another.  Aunt 
Zara  —  aunt  Zara !  —  Aren't  you  going  to 
get  her  a  cloak  ?  " 

"  A    cloak  ?  "     said     Mrs.    Laval    looking 


206  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

round.  "  Yes  ;  that  is  what  I  brought  her 
for." 

"There!"  said  Judy,  "now  you  know 
something  you  didn't  know  before.  What 
sopt  of  a  cloak  would  you  like  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know,"  said  Matilda  in  a  flutter 
of  delight.  "  Mrs.  Laval  knows." 

"  I  suppose  she  does,  but  she  doesn't  know 
what  you  would  like,  unless  you  tell  her. 
Let  us  watch  the  people  coming  in  and  see 
if  we  see  anything  you  would  like.  Isn't  it 
funny  ?  " 

"  What  ?  "  Matilda  asked. 

"  All  of  it.  To  see  the  people.  They  are 
all  sorts,  you  know,  and  so  funny.  There 
are  two  Irish  women,  —  very  likely  they  have 
come  in  from  the  shanties  near  the  Central 
Park,  to  buy  some  calico  dresses.  Look  at 
them !  —  ten  cent  calicoes,  and  they  are  asking 
the  shopman,  I  dare  say,  if  they  can't  have 
that  one  for  nine.  I  suppose  the  calicoes  are 
made  for  them.  No,  there  is  somebody  else 
wanting  one.  She's  from  the  country." 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  207 

"  How  do  you  know  ?  " 

"  Easy  enough.  See  how  she  has  got  her 
hands  folded  over  each  other ;  nobody  does 
that  but  somebody  that  has  come  from  the 
country.  See  her  hat,  too  ;  that's  a  country 
hat.  If  you  could  see  her  feet,  you  would 
see  that  she  has  great  thick  country  shoes." 

Judy's  eye  as  she  spoke  glanced  down 
again  at  the  floor  where  Matilda's  feet  stood ; 
and  it  seemed  to  Matilda  that  the  very 
leather  of  her  boots  could  feel  the  look. 
They  were  country  boots.  Did  Judy  mean, 
that? 

"  There's  another  country  woman,"  the 
young  lady  went  on.  "  See  ?  —  this  one  in  a 
velvet  cloak.  That's  a  cotton  velvet,  though." 

"But  how  can  you  tell  she's  from  the 
country  ?  " 

"  She's  all  corners !  "  said  Judith.  "  Her 
cloak  was  made  by  a  carpenter,  and  her  head 
looks  as  if  it  was  made  by  a  mason.  If  you 
could  see  her  open  her  mouth,  I've  no  doubt 
you  would  find  that  it  is  square.  There  !  — 


208  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

here !  —  how  would  you  like  a  cloak  like  this 
one?" 

The  two  were  looking  at  a  child  who 
passed  them  just  then,  in  a  velvet  cloak  stiff 
with  gimp  and  bugle  embroidery. 

"  I  don't  think  it  is  pretty,"  said  Matilda. 

"  It  is  rich,"  said  Judy.  "  But  it  is  not 
cut  by  anybody  that  knew  how.  You  can 
see  that.  Why  don't  you  ask  aunt  Zara  to 
let  you  have  a  black  satin  cloak  ?  " 

"  Black  satin  ?  "  said  Matilda. 

"  Yes.  Black  satin.  It  is  so  rich  ;  and  it 
is  not  heavy ;  and  there  is  more  shine  to  it 
than  silk  has.  A  black  satin  cloak  trimmed 
with  velvet — that  is  what  I  should  like  if  I 
were  you." 

A  strong  desire  for  a  black  satin  cloak 
forthwith  sprang  up  in  Matilda's  mind. 

"  There  is  not  anything  more  fashionable," 
Judy  went  on;  "  and  velvet  is  just  the  pret- 
tiest trimming.  When  we  go  up  to  look  at 
cloaks,  you  see  if  you  can  spy  such  a  one ;  if 
you  can't,  it  would  be  easy  to  get  the  stuff 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  209 

and  have  it  made.  Just  as  easy.  I  don't 
believe  we  shall  find  any  ready  made,  for 
they  are  so  fashionable,  they  will  be  likely  to 
be  all  bought  up.  Dear  me !  what  a  figure 
that  is ! "  exclaimed  Judy,  eying  a  richly 
dressed  lady  who  brushed  by  them. 

"  Isn't  her  dress  handsome  ? "  Matilda 
asked. 

"  It  was  handsome  before  it  was  made  up 
—  it  isn't  now.  Dresses  are  not  cut  that 
way  now ;  and  the  trimming  is  as  old  as  the 
hills.  I  guess  that  has  been  made  two  or 
three  years,  that  dress.  And  nobody  wears 
a  shawl  now — unless  it's  a  camel's  hair. 
Nobody  would,  that  knew  any  better." 

"  What  is  a  camel's  hair  ?  "  said  Matilda. 

"  A  peculiar  sort  of  rough  thick  shawl," 
said  Judy.  "  People  wear  them  because  they 
set  off  the  rest  of  their  dress ;  but  country 
people  don't  know  enough  to  wear  them. 
Ask  aunt  Zara  to  get  you  a  camel's  hair 
shawl.  I  wish  she  would  give  me  one,  too." 

Matilda  wondered  why  Miss  Judith's 
14 


210  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

mother  did  not  get  her  one,  if  they  were 
so  desirable ;  but  she  did  not  feel  at  home 
enough  with  the  young  lady  to  venture  any 
such  suggestion.  She  only  did  wish  very 
much  privately  that  Mrs.  Laval  would  choose 
for  herself  a  black  satin  cloak ;  but  on  that 
score  too  she  did  not  feel  that  she  could 
make  any  requests.  Mrs.  Laval  knew  what 
was  fashionable,  at  any  rate,  as  well  as  her 
niece  ;  that  was  one  comfort. 

Thinking  this,  Matilda  followed  her  two 
companions  up  the  wide  staircase.  Another 
world  of  shops  and  buyers  and  sellers  up 
there!  What  a  very  wonderful  place  New 
York  must  be.  And  Stewart's. 

**  Does  everybody  come  here  ?  "  she  whis- 
pered to  Judy. 

"  Pretty  much  everybody,"  said  that  young 
lady.  "  They  have  to." 

"  Then  they  can't  buy  things  anywhere 
else  ?  " 

"  What  do  you  mean  ?  "  said  Judith  look- 
ing at  her. 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  211 

"  I  mean,  is  this  the  only  place  where  peo- 
ple can  get  things  ?  are  there  any  more  stores 
beside  this?" 

Judith's  eyes  snapped  in  a  way  that  Ma- 
tilda resolved  she  would  not  provoke  again. 

«  More  stores  ?  "  she  said.  «  New  York 
is  all  stores,  except  the  streets  where  people 
live." 

"  Does  nobody  live  in  the  streets  where  the 
stores  are  ?  "  Matilda  could  not  help  asking. 

"  No.  Nobody  but  the  people  that  live  in 
the  stores,  you  know ;  that's  nobody." 

Matilda's  thoughts  were  getting  rather 
confused  than  enlightened ;  however  the 
party  came  now,  passing  by  a  great  variety 
of  counters  and  goods  displayed,  to  a  region 
where  Matilda  saw  there  was  a  small  host  of 
cloaks,  hung  upon  frames  or  stuffed  figures. 
Here  Mrs.  Laval  sat  down  on  a  sofa  and 
made  Matilda  sit  down,  and  called  for  some- 
thing that  would  suit  the  child's  age  and 
size.  Velvet,  and  silk  and  cloth,  and  shaggy 
nondescript  stuffs,  were  in  turn  brought  for- 


212  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

ward;  Matilda  saw  no  satin.  Mrs.  Laval 
was  hard  to  suit ;  and  Matilda  thought  Ju- 
dith was  no  help,  for  she  constantly  put  in  a 
word  for  the  articles  which  Mrs.  Laval  dis- 
approved. Matilda  was  not  consulted  at 
all,  and  indeed  neither  was  Miss  Judy.  At 
last  a  cloak  was  chosen,  not  satin,  nor  even 
silk,  nor  even  cloth ;  but  of  one  of  those 
same  shaggy  fabrics  which  looked  coarse, 
Matilda  thought.  But  she  noticed  that  the 
price  was  not  low,  and  that  consoled  her. 
The  cloak  was  taken  down  to  the  carriage, 
and  they  left  the  store. 

"  Where  now,  aunt  Zara  ? "  said  Judith. 
"  We  are  pretty  well  lumbered  up  with  pack- 
ages." 

"  To  get  rid  of  some  of  them,"  said  Mrs. 
Laval.  "  I  am  going  to  Fournissons's." 

What  that  meant,  Matilda  could  not  guess. 
The  drive  was  somewhat  long ;  and  then  the 
carriage  stopped  before  a  plain-looking  house 
in  a  very  plain-looking  street.  Here  they  all 
got  out  again,  and  taking  the  various  parcels 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  213 

which  contained  Matilda's  dresses,  they  went 
in.  They  mounted  to  a  common  little  sit- 
ting-room, where  some  litter  was  strewn 
about  on  the  floor.  But  a  personage  met 
them  there  for  whom  Matilda  very  soon  con- 
ceived a  high  respect ;  she  knew  so  much. 
This  was  Mme.  Fournissons ;  the  mantua- 
maker  who  had  the  pleasure  of  receiving 
Mrs.  Laval's  orders.  So  she  said ;  but  Ma- 
tilda thought  the  orders  rather  came  from 
the  other  side.  Mme.  Fournissons  decided 
promptly  how  everything  ought  to  be  made, 
and  just  what  trimming  would  be  proper  in 
each  case ;  and  proceeded  to  take  Matilda's 
measure  with  a  thorough-bred  air  of  knowing 
her  business  which  impressed  Matilda  very 
much.  Tapes  unrolled  themselves  deftly, 
and  pins  went  infallibly  into  place  and  never 
out  of  place ;  and  Madame  measured  and 
fitted  and  talked  all  at  once,  with  the  smooth 
rapid  working  of  a  first-rate  steam  engine. 
New  York  mantua-making  was  very  different 
from  the  same  thing  at  Shadywalk !  And 


214  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

here  Matilda  saw  the  wealth  of  her  new 
wardrobe  unrolled.  There  was  a  blue  me- 
rino and  a  red  cashmere  and  a  brown  rep,  for 
daily  wear ;  and  there  was  a  most  beautiful 
crimson  silk  and  a  dark  green  one  for  other 
occasions.  There  was  a  blue  crape  also, 
with  which  Miss  Judy  evidently  fell  in  love. 

"  It  would  not  become  you,  Judy,  with 
your  black  eyes,"  her  aunt  said.  "  Now  Ma- 
tilda is  fair ;  it  will  suit  her." 

"  Charmingly  !  "  Mme.  Fournissons  had 
added.  "  Just  the  thing.  There  is  a  deli- 
cacy of  skin  which  will  set  off  the  blue,  and 
which  the  blue  will  set  off.  Miss  Barthol- 
omew should  wear  the  colours  of  the  dahlia 
—  as  her  mother  knows." 

"  Clear  straw  colour,  for  instance,  and  pur- 
ple!"  said  Judith  scornfully. 

"  Mrs.  Bartholomew  has  not  such  bad 
taste,"  said  Mme.  Fournissons.  "  This  is  ?  — 
this  young  lady  ?  "  — 

"  My  adopted  daughter,  madame,"  said 
Mrs.  Laval. 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  215 

"  She  will  not  dishonour  your  style, 
madam,"  rejoined  the  mantua-maker  approv- 
ingly." 

Judith  pouted.  She  could  do  that  well. 
But  Matilda  went  down  the  stairs  happy. 
Now  she  was  sure  her  dress  would  be  quite 
as  handsome  and  quite  as  fashionable  as  Ju- 
dy's ;  there  would  be  no  room  for  glances  of 
depreciation,  or  such  shrugs  of  disdain  as  had 
been  visited  upon  the  country  people  coming 
to  Stewart's.  All  would  be  strictly  correct 
in  her  attire,  and  according  to  the  latest  and 
best  mode.  The  wind  blew  as  hard  as  ever, 
and  the  dust  swept  in  furious  charges  against 
everybody  in  the  street  by  turns ;  but  there 
were  folds  of  silk  and  velvet,  as  well  as  sheets 
of  plate  glass  now,  between  Matilda  and  it. 
When  they  reached  home,  Mrs.  Laval  called 
Matilda  into  her  room. 

"  Here  are  your  five  dollars  for  December, 
my  darling,"  she  said.  "  Have  you  any  boots 
beside  those?  " 

«  No,  ma'am." 


2l6  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

"  You  want  another  pair  of  boots;  and 
then  you  will  do  very  well  until  next  month. 
Norton  can  take  you  to  the  shoemaker's  to- 
morrow, —  he  likes  to  take  you  everywhere ; 
tell  him  it  must  be  Laddler's.  And  you  will 
want  to  go  and  see  your  sisters,  will  you 
not  ?  " 

"  O  yes,  ma'am." 

"Where  is  it?" 

Matilda  named  the  place. 

"316  Bolivar  St.,"  repeated  Mrs.  Laval. 
"Bolivar  St.  Where  is  that?  Bolivar 
Street  is  away  over  on  the  other  side  of  the 
city,  I  think,  towards  what  they  used  to  call 
Chelsea.  You  could  not  possibly  walk  there. 
I  will  let  the  carriage  take  you.  Now  darling, 
get  ready  for  dinner." 

Feeling  as  if  she  were  ten  years  older  than 
she  had  been  the  day  before,  Matilda  mounted 
the  stairs  to  her  room.  Her  room.  This 
beautiful,  comfortable,  luxurious  place !  It 
was  a  little  hard  to  recognize  herself  in  it. 
And  when  all  those  dresses  should  come 
home  — 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  217 

Here  there  was  a  knock  at  the  door,  and 
Sam,  the  head  waiter,  handed  her  the  bundle 
of  her  new  cloak,  in  a  nice  pasteboard  box. 
Matilda  put  that  in  the  wardrobe  drawer,  and 
made  her  hair  and  dress  neat ;  not  without  a 
dim  notion,  back  somewhere  in  her  heart,  that 
she  had  a  good  deal  of  thinking  to  do.  A 
feeling  that  she  was  somehow  getting  out  of 
her  reckoning.  There  was  no  time  however 
now  for  anything  before  the  bell  rang  for 
dinner. 

Nor  all  the  evening.  Norton  was  eager 
with  questions ;  and  Judith  was  sharp  with 
funny  speeches,  about  Matilda's  wonder  and 
unusedness  to  everything.  Matilda  winced  a 
little ;  however,  Norton  laughed  it  off,  and 
the  evening  on  the  whole  went  pleasantly. 
He  and  she  arranged  schemes  for  to-morrow ; 
and  all  the  four  got  a  little  more  acquainted 
with  each  other.  But  when  Matilda  went  up 
to  her  room  at  night,  she  took  out  her  Bible 
and  opened  it,  resolving  to  find  out  what 
those  things  were  she  had  to  think  of;  she 


2l8  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

seemed  to  have  switched  off  her  old  track  and 
to  have  got  a  great  way  from  Mr.  Richmond 
and  Shadywalk.  She  did  not  like  this  feel- 
ing. What  did  it  mean  ? 

She  tried  to  think,  but  she  could  not  think. 
Folds  of  glossy  blue  silk  hung  before  her 
eyes ;  her  new  odd  little  cloak,  with  its  rich 
buttons  and  tassels  started  up  to  her  vision ; 
Mme.  Fournissons  and  her  tape  measure  and 
her  face  and  her  words  came  putting  them- 
selves between  her  and  the  very  words  of  the 
Bible.  And  this  went  on.  What  was  she  to 
do  ?  Matilda  sat  back  from  the  table  and 
tried  to  call  herself  to  order.  This  was  not 
the  way  to  do.  And  then  her  mind  flew  off 
to  the  Menagerie,  and  the  roars  of  those  wild 
beasts  seemed  to  go  up  and  down  in  her 
ears.  Yet  underneath  all  these  things,  there 
was  a  secret  consciousness  of  something  not 
right ;  was  it  there,  or  no  ?  It  was  all  a  whirl 
of  confusion.  Matilda  tried  to  recollect  Mr. 
Richmond  and  some  of  his  words. 

"  He    said    I  was    to    go    by  that    motto, 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  219 

'  Whatsoever  ye  do,  in  word  or  deed,  do  all ' 
—  Well,  but  I  am  not  doing  anything,  am 
I,  just  now  ?  What  have  I  been  doing  to- 
day ?  I  will  take  a  piece  of  paper  and  put 
the  things  down !  and  then  my  thoughts  will 
not  slip  away  so." 

Matilda  got  the  piece  of  paper  and  the  pen- 
cil ;  but  she  did  not  immediately  find  out 
v/hat  she  was  to  put  down. 

"  The  Menagerie  ?  —  I  did  not  go  there  of 
my  own  head ;  Norton  took  me.  Still, 
*  whatsoever  ye  do  '  —  I  was  getting  pleas- 
ure, that's  all ;  it  was  nothing  but  pleasure. 
What  has  my  motto  to  do  with  pleasure  ? 
Well,  of  course  it  would  make  it  impossible 
for  me  to  take  wrong  pleasure  —  I  see  that. 
I  could  not  take  pleasure  that  would  be  wrong 
in  God's  sight,  nor  that  would  make  me  do 
wrong  to  get  it.  Other  pleasure,  right  pleas- 
ure, he  likes  me  to  have.  Yes,  and  he  gives 
it  to  me,  really.  I  couldn't  have  it  else. 
Then  certainly  my  motto  says  that  I  must 
remember  that,  and  thank  Him  first  of  all  for 


220  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

everything  I  have  that  I  like.  Did  I  do  so 
about  the  Menagerie?  I  don't  think  I 
thought  about  it  at  all ;  only  I  was  very 
much  obliged  to  Norton.  I  did  not  thank 
God.  And  yet  it  was  such  a  very,  very  great 
pleasure  !  But  I  will  now." 

And  so  Matilda  did.  Before  going  any 
further  in  her  inquiries,  she  kneeled  down  and 
gave  thanks  for  the  rare  enjoyment  of  the 
morning.  She  rose  up  a  little  more  sober- 
minded  and  able  for  the  other  work  on  hand. 

"What  next?  Those  little  street  sweep- 
ers. I  did  not  have  anything  to  do  with 
them —  I  had  no  pennies  in  my  pocket,  and  I 
could  not  wait.  But  I  shall  be  seeing  them 
every  day ;  they  are  under  foot  everywhere, 
Norton  says ;  how  ought  I  to  behave  towards 
them  ?  They  are  a  great  nuisance,  Norton 
says ;  stopping  one  at  every  corner ;  and  they 
ought  not  to  be  encouraged.  If  nobody  gave 
them  anything,  of  course  they  would  not  be 
encouraged;  and  they  would  not  be  there 
sweeping  the  crossings.  But  then,  we  should 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  221 

not  have  clean  crossings.  I  wonder  which  is 
worst,  having  them  swept  or  not  having  them 
swept  ?  However,  they  will  be  on  the  streets, 
I  suppose,  those  poor  children,  whatever  /  do. 
Now  what  ought  I  to  do  ?  I  can't  give 
pennies  to  them  all ;  and  if  not,  how  shall  I 
manage  ?  " 

Matilda  put  her  head  down  to  think.  And 
then  came  floating  into  her  thoughts  the 
words  of  her  motto,  — "  Do  ah1  in  the  name 
of  the  Lord  Jesus." 

"  What  would  He  say  ?  "  questioned  Ma- 
tilda with  herself.  "  But  I  know  what  he  did 
say !  '  Give  to  him  that  asketh  thee.'  — 
Must  I  ?  But  how  can  I,  to  all  these  chil- 
dren ?  I  shall  not  have  pennies.  Well,  of 
course !  when  I  haven't  pennies  I  cannot  give 
them.  But  I  cannot  buy  candy  much,  then, 
can  I !  because  I  shall  want  all  my  odd  cents. 
After  all,  they  are  working  hard  to  get  a  liv- 
ing ;  how  terribly  hard  it  must  be,  to  live  so 
dirty  and  so  cold !  —  and  I  have  cake  and  ice 
cream  and  plenty  of  everything  I  like.  I 


222  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

suppose  I  can  do  without  candy.  I  know 
what  Jesus  would  do  too,  if  he  was  here ;  he 
would  give  them  kind  looks  and  kind  words, 
as  well  as  pay.  But  can  I  ?  What  could  I 
say  to  them  ?  I  wonder  if  Mrs.  Laval  would 
like  me  to  speak  to  them  ?  Anyhow,  I  know 
Jesus  would  say  kind  words  to  them  —  be- 
cause He  would  love  them.  If  I  loved  them, 
I  could  speak,  easy  enough.  And  then  —  He 
would  try  to  do  them  good,  and  make  them 
good.  I  wonder  if  they  go  to  Sunday  school, 
any  of  them  ?  But  I  don't  go  myself  yet, 
here.  I  suppose  I  shall "  — 

Matilda's  wits  went  off  on  a  long  chase 
here,  about  things  that  had  nothing  to  do 
with  her  piece  of  paper.  At  last  came 
back. 

"Where  was  I?  what  next?  The  next 
thing  was  the  shopping.  I  had  nothing  to 
do  with  that.  I  did  not  ask  for  anything ;  it 
was  all  chosen  and  done  without  me.  But 
this  was  another  pleasure ;  and  I  am  to  take 
my  dresses,  and  wear  them  of  course,  accord- 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  223 

ing  to  ray  motto.  How  can  I  ?  '  Do  all  in 
His  name?'  How  can  I?  Well,  to  be 
sure,  I  can  do  it  in  such  a  way  as  to  please 
him.  How  would  that  be  ?  " 

There  seemed  to  be  a  great  deal  of  confu- 
sion in  Matilda's  thoughts  at  this  point,  and 
hard  to  disentangle ;  but  through  it  all  she 
presently  felt  something  like  little  soft  blows 
of  a  hammer  at  her  heart,  reminding  her  of  a 
very  eager  wish  for  black  satin,  and  disap- 
pointment at  not  having  it ;  of  a  violent  de- 
sire to  be  fashionable,  and  to  escape  being 
thought  unfashionable ;  and  of  a  secret  de- 
light in  rivalling  Judith  Bartholomew.  And 
though  Matilda  tried  to  reason  these  thoughts 
away  and  explain  them  down,  those  soft 
blows  of  the  hammer  kept  on,  just  as  fast  as 
ever. 

"  Does  the  Lord  like  such  feelings  ?  Does 
he  care  that  his  children  should  be  fashion- 
able ?  How  are  you  going  to  dress  to  please 
him,  if  the  object  is  to  be  as  fine  as  Judith 
Bartholomew,  or  to  escape  her  criticism,  or  to 


224  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

shew  yourself  a  fine  lady  ?  Will  that  be 
pleasing  him  ?  " 

The  answer  was  swift  to  come ;  yet  what 
was  Matilda  to  do?  All  these  things  were 
at  work  in  her  already.  And  with  them 
came  now  an  ugly  wicked  wish,  that  religion 
did  not  require  her  to  be  unlike  other  people. 
But  Matilda  knew  that  was  wicked,  as  soon 
as  she  felt  it;  and  it  humbled  her.  And 
what  was  she  to  do?  Seeing  the  wrong  of 
all  these  various  feelings  did  not  at  all  take 
them  out  of  her  heart.  She  did  want  to  be 
fashionable ;  she  was  very  glad  to  be  as  hand- 
somely dressed  as  Judith  ;  her  heart  was  very 
much  set  on  her  silks  and  trimmings,  in  a 
way  that  conscience  whispered  was  simply 
selfish  and  proud.  Were  these  things  going 
to  change  Matilda  at  once  and  make  her  a 
different  child  from  the  one  that  had  been 
baptized  in  a  black  dress  at  Shadywalk,  and 
only  cared  then  for  the  "  white  robes"  that 
are  the  spirit's  adornings  ? 

Matilda  was  determined  that  should  not  be. 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  22$ 

She  prayed  a  great  deal  about  it ;  and  at  last 
went  to  bed,  comforting  herself  with  the 
assurance  that  the  Lord  would  certainly  help 
a  child  that  trusted  him,  to  be  all  that  he  had 
bidden  her  be. 

The  subject  started  itself  anew  the  next 
morning ;  for  there  on  her  dressing-table  lay 
her  pocket  book  with  the  five  dollars  Mrs.  La- 
val had  given  her  last  evening.  There  were 
two  dollars  also  that  were  left  from  Novem- 
ber's five  dollars ;  that  made  seven,  to  go 
shopping  for  boots.  "  I  should  think  I  could 
do  with  that,"  Matilda  thought  to  herself. 

She  asked  Norton  to  go  with  her  to  Ladd- 
ler's  shoe  store. 

«  Well,"  said  Norton  ;  «  but  we  must  go  to 
the  Park  to-day." 

"  And  Madame  Fournissons  wants  to  see 
you  this  afternoon,"  said  Mrs.  Laval.  "I 
think  the  Park  must  wait,  Norton." 

"  But  I  have  only  to-day  and  to-morrow, 
mamma.  School  begins  Monday." 

"  To-morrow  will  do  for  the  Park,"  said 
16 


226  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

Mrs.  Laval.  "  And  you  will  have  other 
Saturdays,  Norton." 

Matilda  went  upstairs  to  get  ready,  think- 
ing that  she  was  beginning  to  find  out  what 
sort  of  "  opportunities "  were  likely  to  be 
given  her  in  her  new  home.  She  was  going 
to  have  opportunity  for  self-conquest,  for  self- 
denial,  harder  than  she  had  ever  known 
hitherto ;  opportunity  to  follow  the  straight 
path  where  it  was  not  always  easy  to  see  it, 
and  where  it  could  only  be  found  by  keeping 
the  face  steadily  in  the  right  direction.  In 
the  midst  of  these  thoughts,  however,  she 
dressed  herself  with  great  glee  ;  put  her  purse 
in  her  pocket;  and  set  out  with  Norton, 
remembering  that  in  this  matter  of  buying 
her  boots  her  motto  must  come  in  play. 

As  it  was  rather  early  in  the  morning,  the 
shoe  store  of  Mr.  Laddler  was  nearly  empty, 
and  Matilda  had  immediate  attention.  Ma- 
tilda told  what  she  wanted ;  the  shopman 
glanced  an  experienced  eye  over  her  little 
figure,  from  her  hat  to  the  ground  ;  gave  her 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  227 

a  seat,  and  proceeded  to  fit  her.  The  very 
first  pair  of  boots  "went  on  like  a  glove," 
the  man  said.  And  they  were  very  hand- 
some. But  the  price  was  seven  dollars !  It 
would  take  her  whole  stock  in  hand. 

"  Can't  you  give  me  a  pair  that  will  cost 
less  ? "  Matilda  asked,  after  a  pause  of 
inward  dismay. 

"  Those  are  what  you  want,"  said  the  man. 
"  They  fit,  to  a  T ;  you  cannot  better  that 
fit." 

"  But  you  have  some  that  don't  cost  so 
much?" 

"  They  would  not  look  so  well,"  said  the 
shopman.  "  We  have  boots  not  finished  in 
the  same  style,  for  less  money  ;  but  you  want 
those.  That's  the  article." 

"  Please  let  me  see  the  others." 

He  brought  some  to  shew.  They  were  of 
less  fine  and  beautifully  dressed  stuff,  were 
more  coarsely  made,  and  less  elegant  in  their 
cut.  Matilda  saw  all  that,  and  hesitated. 
The  man  looked  at  her. 


228  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

"  There's  a  pair  here,"  he  said,  turning  back 
to  his  drawer,  "  that  I  can  let  you  have  for 
five  dollars; — just  as  good  as  that  first  pair." 

He  produced  them  and  tried  one  on.  It 
seemed  to  be  quite  as  he  had  said.  Matilda 
could  see  no  difference. 

"  That  will  do,"  said  he,  "  if  you  like  them. 
They  are  exactly  as  well  made  as  that  first 
pair ;  and  of  the  same  leather." 

"  Then  why  are  they  only  five  dollars," 
Matilda  asked,  "  while  the  others  are  seven  ?  " 

"  Fashion,"  said  the  man.  "  Nothing  else. 
You  see,  those  are  wide  at  the  toe ;  that  was 
the  style  worn  last  winter ;  these  first,  you 
see,  are  very  narrow  at  the  toe.  There  is  no 
demand  for  these  now ;  so  I  can  let  you  have 
them  low.  If  you  like  these,  I  will  let  you 
have  them  for  four  and  a  half.  Seven  dollar 
boots." 

Matilda  felt  a  pang  of  uncertainty.  That 
would  save  her  two  and  a  half  dollars  of  her 
seven,  and  she  would  have  pennies  for  street 
girls  and  change  for  other  objects.  But  Judy 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 


229 


would  look  at  those  square  toes,  and  think 
that  Matilda  was  from  the  country  and  did 
not  know,  as  she  said,  what  was  what.  The 
thought  of  Judy's  eyes  and  smile  was  not  to 
be  borne. 

"  I  will  take  the  others,"  she  said  hastily  to 
the  shopman  —  "  the  first  you  tried  on." 

"  I  thought  so,"  said  the  man.  "  Those 
are  what  you  want." 

Matilda  paid,  and  Norton  ordered  them 
sent  home,  and  the  two  left  the  shop. 

"  If  that  had  been  a  good  shoemaker,"  said 
Norton,  "  he  would  have  fitted  you  in  half  the 
time.  We  have  been  half  an  hour  there." 

"  O  that  is  my  fault,  Norton,"  said  Matilda; 
"  because  I  could  not  decide  which  fashion  to 
have." 

"  Sure  you  have  got  the  right  one  now  ?  " 
said  Norton. 

"  I  got  the  newest." 

«  That's  the  right  one,"  said  Norton,  as  if 
the  question  was  settled. 

But  it  was  not  settled,  in  Matilda's  mind  ; 


230  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

and  all  the  way  home  she  was  trying  the 
boots  over  again.  Had  she  done  right  ?  It 
was  on  her  lips  to  say  she  wished  there  were 
no  such  thing  as  fashion,  but  conscience 
checked  her ;  she  felt  it  was  very  delightful  to 
be  in  the  fashion.  Was  that  wrong  ?  How 
could  it  be  wrong  ?  But  she  had  paid  for 
being  in  the  fashion.  Had  she  paid  too 
much  ?  And  was  she  any  the  better  for  hav- 
ing round  toes  to  her  boots,  that  she  should 
be  so  delighted  about  it?  She  wanted  to  be 
as  well  dressed  as  Judy.  She  wanted  that 
Judy  should  not  be  able  to  laugh  at  her  for 
a  country  girl.  She  could  not  help  feeling 
that,  she  thought ;  but  then,  she  had  paid  for 
it.  Was  this  going  to  be  the  way  always  ? 

Matilda  was  in  such  a  confusion  of  thoughts 
that  she  did  not  know  what  she  was  passing 
in  the  street.  Only,  she  did  know  when  there 
were  little  street-sweepers  at  the  crossings, 
and  she  tried  to  slip  by  without  seeming  to 
see  them,  and  to  put  Norton  between  them 
and  herself.  Not  a  penny  had  she  for  one  of 


r 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  23! 

them.  And  she  would  not  have,  until  the 
month  came  round  again.  Fashion  certainly 
cost.  But  she  had  the  narrow-toed  boots ; 
she  was  glad  of  that. 

"What  ails  you?"  said  Norton  at  last. 
"  Are  you  cold  ?  " 

"  No,  Norton.  Nothing  ails  me.  I  am 
thinking." 

"  About  what?  You  think  a  great  deal  too 
much.  Pink,  we  will  go  to  the  Park  this 
afternoon ;  that  will  give  you  something  to 
think  about." 

"  Norton,  we  cannot  this  afternoon,  you 
know.  I  have  got  to  go  to  the  dress- 
maker's." 

"  O  so  you  have !  What  a  nuisance.  Well, 
to-morrow,  then.  And  I  say,  Pink  !  there  is 
another  thing  you  have  to  think  of —  Christ- 
mas presents." 

"Christmas  presents!"  said  Matilda. 

"  Yes ;  we  always  have  a  great  time.  Only 
David  and  Judy  do  scowl ;  it  is  fun  to  see 
them." 


232 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 


«  Don't  they  like  Christmas  presents  ?  "  said 
Matilda,  very  much  bewildered. 

"  Christmas  presents  all  right ;  but  not 
Christmas.  You  know  they  are  Jews." 

"  Jews  ?  "  said  Matilda.  "  What  then  ? 
What  has  their  being  Jews  to  do  with  it?  " 

"  Why  ! "  said  Norton,  "  don't  you  know  ? 
Do  you  think  Jews  love  Christmas?  You 
forget  what  Christmas  is,  don't  you  ?  " 

"  O  —  I  remember.  They  don't  believe  in 
Christ,"  said  Matilda  in  an  awed  and  sorrow- 
ful tone. 

"  Of  course.  And  that's  a  mild  way  to 
put  it,"  rejoined  Norton.  "  But  grandmamma 
will  always  keep  Christmas  with  all  her 
might,  and  aunt  Judy  too ;  just  because 
Davie  and  Judy  don't  like  it,  I  believe.  So 
we  have  times." 

"  But  how  comes  it  they  don't  like  what 
you  all  like,  and  their  mother  ? "  Matilda 
asked. 

"  They  have  Jew  relations,  you  see,"  said 
Norton ;  "  and  that  goes  very  much  against 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 


233 


the  grain  with  aunt  Judy.  There  is  some  old 
Rabbi  here  in  New  York  that  is  David's  great 
uncle  and  makes  much  of  him  ;  and  so  David 
has  been  taught  about  Jewish  things,  and 
told,  I  suppose,  that  he  must  never  forget  he 
is  a  Jew  ;  and  he  don't,  I  guess.  Not  often." 

"  Is  he  good  ?  "  asked  Matilda. 

"  Good  ?  David  Bartholomew  ?  Not  par- 
ticularly. Yes,  he  is  good  in  a  way.  He 
knows  how  to  behave  himself." 

"  Then  how  is  he  not  good  ?  " 

"  He  has  a  mind  of  his  own,"  said  Norton  ; 
"  and  if  you  try  him,  you  will  find  he  has  a 
temper.  I  have  seen  him  fight  —  I  tell  you  ! 
—  like  that  Bengal  tiger  if  he  was  a  Jew  ; 
when  a  fellow  tried  him  a  little  too  hard. 
His  mother  don't  know,  and  you  mustn't  tell 
mamma.  The  boys  let  him  alone  now." 

«  At  school,  was  it  ?  "   said  Matilda. 

"  At  school.  You  see,  fellows  try  a  boy  at 
school,  all  round,  till  they  find  where  they 
can  have  him ;  and  then  he  has  got  to  shew 
what  he  is  made  of." 


234  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

"  Do  they  try  you  ?  " 

"  Well,  no ;  they  like  me  pretty  well  at  St. 
Giles'." 

"  And  they  don't  like  David?  " 

"  They  let  him  alone,"  said  Norton.  "  No, 
they  don't  like  him  much.  He  keeps  himself 
to  himself  too  much  for  their  liking.  They 
would  forget  he  is  a  Jew,  if  he  would  forget 
it ;  but  he  never  does." 

Matilda's  thoughts  had  got  into  a  new 
channel  and  ran  along  fast,  till  Norton  brought 
them  back. 

"  So  we  have  got  to  look  out  for  Christmas, 
Pink,  as  I  told  you.  It's  only  just  three 
weeks  from  to-morrow." 

"  What  then,  Norton  ?  What  do  you 
do?" 

"  Everything  we  can  think  of, "  said  Nor- 
ton ;  "  and  to  begin,  everybody  in  the  house 
gives  something  to  every  other  body.  That 
makes  confusion,  I  should  think  !  " 

"  Do  you  give  things  to  your  mother  ?  and 
to  Mrs.  Lloyd?" 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  235 

"  To  every  one  of  'em,"  said  Norton  ;  "  and 
it's  a  job.  I  shall  begin  next  week  to  get 
ready  ;  and  so  must  you." 

Matilda  had  it  on  her  tongue  to  say  that 
she  had  no  money  and  therefore  nothing  to 
get  ready  ;  but  she  remembered  in  time  that 
if  she  said  that  or  anything  like  it,  Norton 
would  report  and  ask  for  a  supply  for  her. 
So  she  held  her  tongue.  But  how  delightful 
it  must  be  to  get  presents  for  everybody! 
Not  for  Mrs.  Lloyd,  exactly ;  Matilda  had  no 
special  longings  to  bestow  any  tokens  upon 
her;  or  Mrs.  Bartholomew;  but  Maria,  and 
Anne,  and  Letitia!  And  Norton  himself. 
How  she  would  like  to  give  him  something ! 
And  if  she  could,  what  in  the  world  would  it 
be  ?  On  this  question  Matilda's  fancy  fairly 
went  off  and  lost  itself,  and  Norton  got  no 
more  talk  from  her  till  they  reached  home. 

She  mused  about  it  again  when  she  was 
alone  in  the  carriage  that  afternoon  driving 
to  Mme.  Fournisson's.  As  she  had  not  the 
money,  she  thought  she  might  as  well  have 


236  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN, 

the  comfort  of  fancying  she  had  it  and  think- 
ing what  she  would  do  with  it ;  and  so  she 
puzzled  in  delightful  mazes  of  dreamland, 
thinking  what  she  would  get  for  Norton  if 
she  had  the  power.  It  was  so  difficult  a 
point  to  decide  that  the  speculation  gave  her 
a  great  deal  to  do.  Norton  was  pretty  well 
supplied  with  things  a  boy  might  wish  for ; 
lie  did  not  want  any  of  the  class  of  presents 
Matilda  had  carried  to  Maria.  But  Norton 
was  very  fond  of  pretty  things.  Matilda 
knew  that ;  yet  her  experience  of  delicate 
matters  of  art  was  too  limited,  and  her 
knowledge  of  the  resources  of  New  York 
stores  too  unformed,  to  give  her  fancy  much 
scope.  She  had  a  vague  idea  that  there 
were  pretty  things  that  he  might  like,  if  only 
she  knew  where  they  were  to  be  found.  In 
the  mean  time,  it  was  but  the  other  day,  she 
had  heard  him  complaining  that  the  guard  of 
his  watch  was  broken.  Matilda  knew  how 
to  make  a  very  pretty,  strong  sort  of  watch 
guard;  if  she  only  had  some  strong  brown 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  237 

silk  to  weave  it  of.  That  was  easy  to  get, 
and  would  not  cost  much  ;  if  she  had  but  a 
few  shillings.  Those  round  toed  boots !  It 
darted  into  her  mind,  how  the  two  dollars 
and  a  half  she  had  paid  for  those  round  toes, 
would  have  bought  the  silk  for  a  watch  guard 
and  left  a  great  deal  to  spare.  There  was  a 
little  sharp  regret  just  here.  It  would  have 
been  such  pleasure !  And  she  would  not 
have  been  quite  empty  handed  in  the  great 
Christmas  festival.  But  the  round  toes? 
Could  she  have  done  without  them  ? 

The  question  was  not  settled  when  she 
got  to  the  dressmaker's ;  and  for  a  good  while 
there  Matilda  could  think  of  nothing  but  her 
new  dresses  and  the  fashion  and  style  which 
belonged  to  them.  All  that  while  the  dress- 
maker, not  Mme.  Fournissons  by  any  means, 
but  one  of  her  women,  was  trying  on  the 
bodies  of  these  dresses,  measuring  lengths, 
fitting  trimmings,  and  trying  effects.  It 
was  done  at  last ;  and  then  Matilda  desired 
the  coachman  to  take  her  to  316  Bolivar 
street. 


238  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

It  was  very  grand,  to  ride  in  a  carriage  all 
alone  by  herself;  to  sink  back  on  those  lux- 
urious cushions  and  look  out  at  the  people 
who  were  getting  along  in  the  world  less 
easily;  trudging  over  the  stones  and  going 
through  the  dirt.  And  it  was  very  pleasant 
to  feel  that  she  had  a  stock  of  rich  and  ele- 
gant dresses  getting  ready  for  her  wear, 
and  such  a  home  of  comfort,  instead  of  the 
old  last  summer's  life  at  Mrs.  Candy's.  Ma- 
tilda was  grown  strong  and  well,  her  cheeks 
filled  out  and  fresh-coloured;  she  felt  like 
another  Matilda.  But  as  she  drove  along 
with  these  thoughts,  the  other  thought  came 
up  to  her,  of  her  new  opportunities.  The 
Lord's  child,  —  yes,  that  was  not  changed  ; 
she  was  that  still;  what  was  the  work  she 
ought  to  do,  here  and  now?  Opportunities 
for  what,  had  she  ?  Matilda  thought  care- 
fully about  it.  And  one  thing  which  she  had 
expected  she  could  do,  she  feared  was  going 
out  of  her  reach.  How  was  she  ever  to  have 
more  money  to  spare  for  people  needing  it, 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 


239 


if  the  demands  of  her  new  position  kept  pace 
with  her  increased  means?  If  her  boots 
must  always  cost  seven  dollars  instead  of 
three,  having  twice  as  much  money  to  buy 
them  with  would  not  much  help  the  matter. 
"  And  they  must,"  said  Matilda  to  herself. 
"  With  such  dresses  as  these  I  am  to  have, 
and  in  such  a  house  as  Mrs.  Lloyd's,  those 
common  boots  I  used  to  wear  at  Shadywalk 
would  not  do  at  all.  And  to  wear  with  my 
red  and  green  silks,  I  know  I  must  have  a 
new  pair  of  slippers,  with  bows,  like  Judy's. 
I  wonder  how  much  they  will  cost?  And 
then  I  shall  hardly  have  even  pennies  for  the 
little  girls  that  sweep  the  street,  at  that 
rate." 

Opportunities?  were  all  her  opportunities 
gone  from  her  at  once  ?  That  could  not  be  ; 
and  yet  Matilda  did  not  see  her  way  out  of 
the  question. 

So  the  carriage  rolled  along  with  her,  and 
she  by  and  by  got  tired  of  thinking  and 
began  to  examine  more  carefully  into  what 


240 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 


there  was  to  see.  She  was  coming  into  a 
quarter  of  the  city  unlike  those  where  she 
had  been  before.  The  house  of  Mme.  Four- 
nissons  was  in  a  very  quiet  street  certainly ; 
but  what  she  was  passing  now  was  far  below 
that  in  pretension.  These,  streets  were  very 
uncomfortable,  she  thought,  even  to  ride 
through.  Yet  the  houses  themselves  were 
as  good  and  as  large  as  many  houses  in 
Shadywalk.  But  nothing  in  Shadywalk,  no, 
not  Lilac  lane  itself,  was  so  repelling.  Noth- 
ing in  Shadywalk  was  so  dingy  and  dark. 
Lilac  lane  was  dirty,  and  poor ;  yet  it  was 
broad  enough  and  the  cottages  stood  far 
enough  apart  to  let  the  sky  look  in.  Here, 
in  these  streets,  houses  and  people  seemed 
to  be  packed.  There  was  a  bare  look  of 
want ;  a  forlorn  abandonment  of  every  sort 
of  pleasantness ;  what  must  it  be  to  go  in  at 
one  of  those  doors?  Matilda  thought;  and 
to  live  there  ?  —  the  idea  was  too  disagreeable 
to  dwell  upon.  Yet  people  lived  there. 
What  sort  ?  Dingy  people,  as  far  as  Matilda 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  241 

could  see ;  dirty  people,  and  as  hopeless  look- 
ing as  the  houses.  It  was  not  however  a 
region  of  the  wretchedly  poor  through  which 
her  course  lay ;  the  windows  were  whole  and 
the  roofs  were  decent ;  but  it  made  the  little 
girl's  heart  sick  to  look  at  it  all,  and  read  the 
signs  she  could  not  read.  Through  street 
after  street  of  this  general  character  the  car- 
riage went ;  narrow  streets,  very  full  of  mud 
and  dirt ;  where  the  horses  stepped  round  an 
overturned  basket  of  garbage  in  one  place, 
and  in  another  stopped  for  a  dray  to  get  out 
of  their  path;  where  children  looked  as  if 
their  heads  were  never  brushed,  and  often 
the  women  looked  as  if  their  clothes  were 
never  clean.  Matilda  could  never  walk  to 
see  her  sisters,  that  was  plain  ;  she  was  glad 
nobody  was  in  the  carriage  with  her ;  and 
she  was  much  disappointed  to  see  even  a 
part  of  New  York  look  like  this. 

In  a  street  a  little  wider,  a  little  cleaner,  a 
shade  or  two  more  respectable,  the  carriage 
stopped  at  last.     It  stopped,  and  Matilda  got 
16 


242  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

out.  Was  this  Bolivar  street?  But  she 
looked  and  saw  that  316  was  the  number  of 
the  house.  So  she  rang  the  bell. 

It  was  the  right  place  ;  and  she  was  shewn 
into  a  parlour,  where  she  had  to  wait  a  little. 
It  was  respectable,  and  yet  it  oppressed  all 
Matilda's  senses.  The  room  was  full  of 
buckwheat  cake  smoke,  to  begin  with,  which 
had  filled  it  that  morning  and  probably  every 
morning  of  the  week,  and  was  never  encour- 
aged, nor  indeed  had  ever  a  chance,  to  pass 
away.  So  each  morning  made  its  addition 
to  the  stock,  till  now  Matilda  felt  as  if  it 
could  be  almost  seen  as  well  as  felt.  It 
certainly  was  in  the  carpet,  the  dingy  old 
brown  carpet,  in  which  the  worn  holes  were 
too  many  and  too  evident  to  be  hidden  by 
rug  or  crumb  cloth  or  concealed  by  disposi- 
tion of  furniture.  It  wreathed  the  lamps  on 
the  mantelpiece  and  the  picture  on  the  wall, 
which  last  represented  a  very  white  monu- 
ment with  a  very  green  willow  tree  drooping 
limp  tresses  over  it,  and  a  lady  in  black  press- 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  243 

ing  a  white  handkerchief  to  her  eyes.  An 
old  mahogany  chest  of  drawers  and  a  table 
with  some  books  on  it  did  not  help  the  effect ; 
for  the  chest  of  drawers  was  out  of  place, 
the  cotton  table  cover  was  dingy  and  hung 
awry,  and  the  books  were  soiled  and  dog's 
eared.  Matilda  felt  all  this  in  three  min- 
utes ;  then  she  forgot  it  in  the  joy  of  seeing 
her  sisters.  The  greeting  on  her  part  was 
very  warm ;  too  warm  for  her  to  find  out 
that  on  their  part  it  was  a  little  constrained. 
They  were  interested  enough,  however,  in  all 
that  had  befallen  Matilda,  to  give  talk  full 
flow ;  and  made  her  tell  them  the  whole  story 
of  the  past  months  ;  the  ship  fever,  the  visit 
at  Briery  Bank,  the  adoption  of  herself  to  be 
a  child  of  the  house,  the  coming  to  New 
York,  and  the  composition  of  the  family  cir- 
cle in  Mrs.  Lloyd's  house.  The  elder  sisters 
said  very  little  all  the  while,  except  to  ask 
questions. 

"  And  it's  for  good  and  all !  "  said  Letitia, 
when  Matilda  had  done. 


244  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

«  Yes.     For  good  and  all ! " 

"  And  what  is  Maria  doing  ?  "  said  Anne. 

"  Maria  is  in  Poughkeepsie,  you  know, 
learning  mantua-making." 

"  Is  she  happy  ?  does  she  get  along  well  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know,"  replied  Matilda  dubiously. 
She  had  not  known  Maria  to  seem  happy  for 
a  very  long  period ;  certainly  not  at  the  time 
of  her  last  visit  to  her. 

"  And  we  are  here,"  said  Letitia.  "  I  don't 
know  why  all  the  good  should  come  to  Ma- 
tilda, for  my  part." 

Matilda  could  say  nothing.  It  was  a  dash 
of  cold  water. 

"  I  suppose  you  have  everything  in  the 
world  you  want  ?  "  Letitia  went  on. 

"  Does  she  treat  you  really  exactly  as  if  you 
were  her  child  ?  "  said  Anne.  "  Mrs.  Laval, 
I  mean." 

"  Just  as  if  I  were,"  said  Matilda. 

"  And  you  can  have  everything  you 
want?"  asked  Letitia;  but  not  as  if  she 
were  glad  of  it. 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 


245 


«  If  Mrs.  Laval  knows  it,"  said  Matilda. 

"  You  can  let  her  know  it,  I  suppose.  It 
ain't  fair !  "  cried  Letitia  ;  "  it  ain't  fair ! 
Why  should  Matilda  have  all  the  good  that 
comes  to  anybody?  Here  this  child  can 
have  everything  she  wants ;  and  you  and  I, 
and  Maria,  have  to  work  and  work  and  pinch 
and  pinch,  and  can't  get  it  then." 

"  Is  that  your  dress  for  every  day  ? "  said 
Anne,  after  she  had  lifted  Matilda's  cloak  to 
see  what  was  underneath. 

"  I  don't  know,  Anne." 

"  You  don't  know  ?  Don't  you  know  what 
you  wear  every  day  ?  " 

"  Yes,  but  I  don't  know  what  will  be  my 
every  day  frock.  I  do  not  wear  the  same  in 
the  morning  and  in  the  afternoon." 

"  You  don't !  "  said  Anne.  "  How  many 
dresses  have  you  ?  " 

"  And  what  are  they  ?  "  added  Letitia. 

Matilda  was  obliged  to  tell. 

"  Think  of  it !  "  said  Letty.  "  This  child ! 
She  has  silks  and  cashmeres  and  reps,  more 


246  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

than  she  can  use  ;  and  I,  old  as  I  am,  haven't 
a  dress  to  go  to  church  in,  but  one  that  I 
have  worn  a  whole  winter.  I  could  get  one 
for  twenty  shillings,  and  I  haven't  money  to 
spare  for  that !  " 

"  Hush,"  said  Anne ;  "  we  shall  do  better 
by  and  by,  when  we  have  gone  further  into 
the  business." 

"  We  shall  be  delving  in  the  business 
though,  for  it,  all  the  while.  And  Matilda  is 
to  do  nothing  and  live  grand.  She'll  be  too 
grand  to  look  at  us  and  Maria." 

"  Where  do  you  live  ?  "  Anne  asked. 

"  It's  the  corner  of  40th  street  and  Bless- 
ington  Avenue." 

Anne's  face  darkened. 

"  Where  is  Blessington  Avenue  ?  "  asked 
Letitia. 

"  It's  away  over  the  other  side  of  the  city," 
Anne  answered. 

«  Well,  I  suppose  there  is  all  New  York 
between  us,"  said  Letitia.  "  Don't  you  think 
this  is  a  delightful  part  of  the  town,  Ma- 
tilda?" 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 


247 


"  I  should  think  you  would  go  back  to 
Shadywalk,  Anne  and  Letty,  when  you  have 
learned  what  you  want  to  learn ;  it  would  be 
pleasanter  to  make  dresses  for  the  people 
there,  wouldn't  it,  than  for  people  here  ?  " 

"  Speak  for  yourself,"  said  Letty.  "  Do 
you  think  nobody  wants  to  be  in  New  York 
but  you?" 

"  I  don't  want  to  live  where  Mrs.  Candy 
lives,"  said  Anne.  "  That's  enough  for  me." 

"  The  conversation  had  got  into  a  very  dis- 
agreeable channel,  where  Matilda  could  not 
deal  with  it.  Perhaps  that  helped  her  to  re- 
member that  it  was  getting  late  and  she 
must  go. 

"How  did  you  get  here  ?  "  asked  Letitia. 
"  You  could  not  find  your  way  alone.  I  de- 
clare !  you  don't  mean  to  say  that  carriage  is 
for  you  ?  " 

"  I  couldn't  come  any  other  way,"  said  Ma- 
tilda, as  meekly  as  if  it  had  been  a  sin  to  ride 
in  a  carriage. 

"I  declare!"  said  Letitia.     "Look,  Anne, 


248  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

what  a  carriage.     It  is  a  close  carriage,  just 
as  handsome  as  it  can  be." 

"  Was  nobody  with  you  ?  "  said  Anne. 

"  No,  she  has  it  all  to  herself,"  said  Letitia. 
"  Well,  I  hope  she'll  enjoy  it.  And  I  would 
be  glad  of  twenty  shillings  to  get  a  dress  to 
walk  to  church  in." 

Matilda  was  glad  to  bid  good  bye  and  to 
find  the  carriage  door  shut  upon  her.  She 
was  very  glad  to  be  alone  again.  Was  it 
any  wrong  in  her,  that  she  had  so  much  more 
than  her  sisters  ?  It  was  not  her  own  doing ; 
she  did  not  make  Mrs.  Laval's  wealth,  nor 
gain  Mrs.  Laval's  affection,  by  any  intent 
of  her  own  ;  and  further,  Matilda  could  not 
understand  how  Anne  and  Letitia  were  any 
worse  off  for  her  better  circumstances.  If  she 
could  have  helped  it,  indeed,  that  would  have 
been  another  affair;  and  here  one  thorn 
pricked  into  Matilda's  heart.  She  might  not 
have  thought  of  it  if  the  amount  named  had 
not  been  just  what  it  was ;  but  twenty  shil- 
lings ?  —  that  was  exactly  the  two  dollars 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 


249 


and  a  half  she  had  paid  to  be  in  the  fashion 
as  to  her  toes.  Now  was  it  right,  or  not  ? 
Ought  she  to  have  those  two  and  a  half  dol- 
lars in  hand  to  give  to  Letty  for  her  dress  ? 
The  thorn  pricked  rather  sharp. 


CHAPTER   VIII. 

TT  was  growing  dusk  when  Matilda  got 
home.  She  tapped  at  Mrs.  Laval's  door 
before  seeking  her  own. 

Mrs.  Laval  was  sitting  on  a  low  chair  in 
front  of  the  fire.  She  had  bid  "  come  in,"  at 
the  knock,  and  now  received  Matilda  into 
her  arms ;  and  making  her  sit  down  on  her 
lap,  began  taking  off  her  things  between 
kisses. 

"  You  have  got  home  safe  and  warm,"  she 
said,  as  she  pulled  off  Matilda's  glove  and 
felt  of  the  little  fingers. 

"  O  yes !  I  had  a  beautiful  ride,"  Matilda 
answered. 

"  And  a  pleasant  visit  ?  " 

Now  the  answer  to  this  was  not  so  easy  to 
give.  Matilda  struggled  for  an  answer,  but 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  251 

truth  would  not  find  one.  Mortification  did. 
She  flung  her  arms  round  Mrs.  Laval's  neck 
and  hid  her  face,  for  she  felt  the  tears  were 
coming. 

"  My  darling !  "  said  the  lady,  very  much 
surprised,  —  "what  is  the  matter?  Was  it 
not  pleasant  ?  " 

But  Matilda  would  not  say  that  either. 
She  let  her  action  speak  for  her.  Mrs.  Laval 
kissed  and  caressed  her,  and  then  when  the 
child  lifted  up  her  head,  asked  in  a  more  busi- 
ness-like tone,  "  What  was  it,  Matilda  ?  " 

«  I  don't  know,"  —  was  aU  that  Matilda 
could  say. 

"  Were  they  not  glad  to  see  you  ?  " 

"  I  thought  they  were,  at  first,"  said  Ma- 
tilda. "  I  was  very  glad  to  see  them. 
Afterwards  "  — 

"  Yes,  what  afterwards  ?  " 

"  Something  was  the  matter.  I  think  — 
maybe  — they  felt  a  little  bad  because  I  have 
so  much  more  than  they  have ;  and  I  don't 
deserve  it  any  more." 


252  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

"  I  understand,"  said  Mrs.  Laval.  "  I  dare 
say.  Well,  dear,  we  will  try  and  find  some 
way  of  making  them  feel  better.  Don't  you 
be  troubled.  What  have  you  been  about  all 
day  ?  I  have  scarcely  seen  you.  Did  you 
go  to  Laddler's  this  morning  ?  " 

"  Yes,  ma'am.     Norton  took  me  there." 

"  And  you  got  your  boots,  such  as  you 
wanted  ?  " 

"  I  got  them  —  I  believe  so.  They  are 
narrow  toes." 

«  Was  that  what  you  wanted?  "  said  Mrs. 
Laval  smiling. 

"  I  could  have  got  broad  toed  boots  for  a 
good  deal  less,  but  he  said  they  were  out  of 
fashion  ;  they  were  last  year's  style." 

"  Yes,  he  knows,"  said  Mrs.  Laval.  «  Of 
course  he  knows,  for  he  makes  them." 

"  Don't  other  people  know  ?  " 

"  I  suppose  so,"  said  Mrs.  Laval ;  "  but 
really  I  never  think  about  it.  I  take  what  he 
gives  me  and  am  sure  it  is  all  right.  That 
is  the  comfort  of  going  to  Laddler." 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  253 

"  But  wouldn't  you  have  found  it  out,  if  I 
had  got  the  square  toes  ?  " 

"  I  might  have  found  it  out,"  said  Mrs.  La- 
val laughing,  "  but  I  should  not  have  known 
it  was  wrong.  I  should  have  taken  it  for  the 
last  style." 

"  Then  what  difference  does  it  make  ? " 
said  Matilda. 

"  It  makes  a  good  deal  of  difference  to  the 
shoemaker,"  said  Mrs.  Laval ;  "  for  as  often 
as  he  can  bring  in  a  new  fashion  he  can  make 
people  buy  new  shoes.  But  how  was  it  at 
Madame  Fournissons?" 

"  It  was  all  right,"  said  Matilda.  « She 
tried  everything  on,  and  made  them  all 
fit." 

Mrs.  Laval  wrapped  arms  a  little  closer 
about  the  tiny  figure  on  her  lap. 

"  Now  do  you  know,"  she  said,  "  there  is 
another  piece  of  work  you  have  got  to  attend 
to.  Has  Norton  told  you  about  Christmas  ?  " 

"  Yes,  rna'am  ;  something." 

"  You  know  there  is  a  great  time  of  present 


254         THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

giving.  You  must  take  your  turn,  with  the 
rest.  How  will  you  manage  it  ?  " 

"  Manage  what,  ma'am  ?  " 

"  Manage  to  get  gifts  for  all  these  people  ? 
Shall  I  do  it  for  you  ?  " 

"Why  I  cannot  do  it,"  said  Matilda  simply  ; 
"  because  I  have  nothing  to  get  them  with." 

Mrs.  Laval  laughed  and  kissed  her.  "  Sup- 
pose I  supply  that  deficiency?  You  could 
not  very  well  do  it  without  money,  unless  you 
were  a  witch.  But  if  I  give  you  the  money, 
darling  ?  Here  are  twenty  dollars  ;  now  you 
may  spend  them,  or  I  will  spend  them  for 
you.  Would  you  like  to  do  it  ?  " 

"  I  would  like  to  do  it  very  much !  "  said 
Matilda  flushing  with  excitement,  —  "if  I 
can." 

"  Very  well.  Norton  will  shew  you  where 
pretty  things  are  to  be  bought,  of  various 
sorts.  You  can  get  everything  in  New  York. 
I  expect  I  shall  not  see  you  now  for  three 
weeks  to  come ;  you  will  be  shopping  all  the 
time.  You  have  a  great  deal  to  do." 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  255 

Matilda  flushed  more  and  more,  clasped  the 
notes  in  her  hand,  and  looked  delighted. 

"  Well,  I  suppose  I  must  let  you  go,"  said 
Mrs.  Laval,  "  for  I  must  get  ready  for  dinner, 
and  you  must.  But  first, —  Matilda,  when 
are  you  going  to  call  me  mamma  ?  This  is 
not  to  make  you  forget  the  mother  you  had, 
maybe  a  better  one  than  I  am  ;  but  I  am  your 
mother  now.  I  want  you  to  call  me  so." 

Matilda  threw  her  arms  round  Mrs.  Laval's 
neck  again.  "  Yes  —  I  will,"  she  whispered. 
There  were  new  kisses  interchanged  between 
them,  full  of  much  meaning;  and  then  Ma- 
tilda went  up  to  her  room. 

At  the  top  of  the  stairs,  in  each  story,  there 
was  a  large  open  space,  a  sort  of  lobby,  car- 
peted and  warm  and  bright,  into  which  the 
rooms  opened.  Matilda  paused  when  she  got 
to  her  own,  and  stood  by  the  rails  thinking. 
The  twenty  dollars  had  not  at  all  taken  away 
her  regret  on  the  subject  of  Letitia's  dress  ; 
rather  the  abundance  which  came  pouring  in 
upon  her  pricked  her  conscience  the  more 


256  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

with  the  contrast  between  her  own  case  and 
that  of  her  sister,  which  a  little  self-denial  on 
her  part  would  have  rendered  less  painful. 
Mrs.  Laval  had  unwittingly  helped  the  feel- 
ing too  by  her  slight  treatment  of  the  matter 
of  the  boots ;  it  appeared  that  she  would 
never  have  known  or  cared,  if  Matilda  had 
got  the  objectionable  square  toes.  Judy 
would ;  but  then,  was  Judy's  laugh  to  be  set 
against  Letitia's  joy  in  a  new  dress  ?  a  thing 
really  needed  ?  Matilda  could  not  feel  satis- 
fied with  her  action.  When  she  bought  those 
boots,  she  had  not  done  it  according  to  her 
motto  ;  that  was  the  conclusion. 

She  came  to  that  conclusion  before  she 
opened  the  door  of  her  room ;  but  then  she 
took  up  the  consideration  of  how  the  mischief 
might  be  remedied;  and  all  the  while  she  was 
dressing  and  putting  away  her  walking 
things,  her  head  in  a  delightful  bustle  of 
thoughts  tried  different  ways  of  disposing  of 
her  money.  She  must  consult  Norton  ;  that 
was  the  end  of  it. 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  257 

«  Well,"  said  Norton,  when  she  had  a 
chance  to  do  this  after  dinner,  —  "I  see  what 
is  before  us ;  we  have  got  to  go  into  all  the 
stores  in  New  York  between  this  and  Christ- 
mas ;  so  we  had  best  begin  to-morrow.  To- 
morrow we  will  go  —  Do  you  know  what 
sort  of  things  you  want,  Pink  ?  " 

"  Only  one  or  two." 

"  See  now.  You  must  have  something  for 
everybody.  That  is,  counting  great  and 
small,  six  persons  in  this  house.  Any  be- 
side ?  " 

"  O  yes ;  but  I  know  what  to  do  for  them, 
Norton ;  at  least  I  shall  know ;  it  is  only 
these  that  trouble  me." 

"  What  will  you  offer  to  grandmamma  ?  " 

"  I  just  don't  know,  Norton  !  I  can't  even 
imagine." 

Norton  pondered. 

"  Hollo,  Davy !  "  he  cried  presently.  "  You 
and  Judy  come  over  here.  I  want  to  talk  to 
you." 

Judith  and  her  brother  came  over  the  room 
17 


258  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

to  where  Norton  and  Matilda  were.  Judith 
sat  down,  but  David  stood  waiting. 

"  The  thing  is,  friends  and  relatives,"  Nor- 
ton began,  "  how  and  by  what  measures  we 
can  jointly  and  severally  succeed  in  dis- 
tinguishing ourselves,  in  the  matter  of  our 
Christmas  offerings  to  Mrs.  Lloyd.  I  want 
your  opinion  about  it.  It  is  always  nearly  as 
much  bother  as  Christmas  is  worth.  The  old 
lady  don't  want  anything,  that  I  ever  dis- 
covered, and  if  she  did,  no  one  of  us  is  rich 
enough  to  relieve  her.  Now  a  bright  plan 
has  occurred  to  me.  Suppose  we  club." 

"  Club  what  ?  "  said  David. 

"  Forces.  That  is,  put  our  stock  together 
and  give  her  something  clever  —  from  the 
whole  of  us,  you  know." 

David  looked  at  the  new  member  of  the 
quartette,  as  if  to  see  whether  she  would  do 
to  work  with ;  Judy  whistled  softly. 

"  What  shall  we  give  her  ? "  said  that 
young  lady.  "  She  has  got  everything  under 
the  sun  already." 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 


259 


"  Easier  to  find  one  thing  than  four  things, 
then,"  said  Norton. 

"  I  think  it  will  do,"  said  David.  "  It  is 
a  good  idea.  And  I  saw  the  article  at  Can- 
dello's  yesterday." 

"  What  was  it  ?  " 

"  A  liqueur  stand.  Grandmamma  was 
admiring  it.  It  is  very  elegant ;  the  shapes  of 
the  flasks  and  cups  are  so  uncommon,  and  so 
pretty." 

"  David  is  a  judge  of  that,"  said  Norton  by 
way  of  comment  to  Matilda.  "  I  go  in  for 
colour,  and  he  for  shapes." 

"  There  is  no  colour  here,"  said  David ;  "  it 
is  all  clear  glass." 

"  The  cordial  will  give  the  colour,"  said 
Norton.  "  Yes,  I  think  that  will  do.  Hurra! 
Grandmamma  is  always  on  my  mind  about 
this  time,  and  it  keeps  down  my  spirits." 

"  Who'll  go  and  get  it  ?  "  said  Judy. 

"  We'll  all  go  together,"  said  Norton.  "We 
are  all  going  to  get  it ;  didn't  you  understand  ? 
I  want  to  see  for  myself,  for  my  part,  before 


260  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

the  thing's  done.  I  say !  let  us  each  give  a 
glass,  and  have  our  names  engraved  on 
them." 

"  I  don't  want  anybody  to  drink  out  of 
*  Judy,'  "  said  the  young  lady  tossing  her  head. 

"  Grandmamma  will  think  she  is  kissing 
you,"  said  Norton.  "  She'll  wear  out  that 
glass,  that's  the  worst  of  it." 

"  Then  somebody  else  will  have  to  drink 
out  of  '  David,'  "  said  Judy's  brother.  "  I 
don't  know  about  that." 

«  Well,  she'd  like  it,"  said  Norton. 

"  But  I  wouldn't,"  said  Judy.  "  I  have  no 
objection  to  her  kissing  me ;  but  fancy  other 
people!" 

"  It  won't  hurt,"  said  Norton.  «  You'll 
never  feel  it  through  the  glass.  But  anyhow, 
we'll  all  go  to  Candello's  to-morrow  and  see 
the  thing,  and  see  what  we'll  do.  Maybe 
she'll  give  us  cordial  in  our  own  cups.  That 
would  be  jolly !  —  if  it  was  noyau." 

"  You  are  getting  jolly  already,"  said  Judith. 
"  Does  Matilda  ever  get  jolly  ?  " 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  261 

"  You'll  find  out,'5  said  Norton  ;  "  in  course 
of  time,  if  you  keep  your  eyes  open.  But  I 
don't  believe  you  know  a  brick  when  you  see 
it,  Judy." 

"  A  brick  !  "  said  that  young  lady. 

"  Yes.  There  are  a  great  many  sorts, 
David  can  tell  you.  Bricks  are  a  very  old 
institution.  I  was  studying  about  Chaldsean 
bricks  lately.  They  were  a  foot  square  and 
two  or  three  inches  thick ;  and  if  they  were 
not  well  baked  they  would  not  stand  much, 
you  know." 

"  What  nonsense  you  are  talking !  "  said 
Judith  scornfully. 

"  Some  of  those  bricks  were  not  nonsense, 
for  they  have  lasted  four  thousand  years. 
That's  what  I  call  —  a  brick  ! » 

"  You  wouldn't  know  it  if  you  saw  it 
though,"  David  remarked. 

"  You  shut  up  ! "  said  Norton.  "  Some  of 
your  ancestors  made  them  for  Nebuchad- 
nezzar." 

"  Some   of  my   ancestors  were    over    the 


262  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

whole  province  of  Babylon,"  said  David. 
"  But  that  was  not  four  thousand  years 
ago." 

"  When  I  get  back  as  far  as  Nebuchad- 
nezzar," said  Norton  shutting  his  eyes,  as  if 
in  the  effort  at  abstraction,  "  I  have  got  as 
far  as  I  can  go.  The  stars  of  history  beyond 
that  seem  to  me  all  at  one  distance." 

"  They  do  not  seem  so  to  me,"  said  David. 
"  It  was  long  before  Nebuchadnezzar  that 
Solomon  reigned ;  and  the  Jews  were  an  old 
people  then." 

"  I  know !  "  said  Norton.  "  Nothing  can 
match  you  but  the  Celestials.  After  all, 
Noah's  three  sons  all  came  out  of  the  ark 
together." 

"  But  the  nations  of  Ham  are  all  gone," 
said  David ;  "  and  the  nations  of  Japhet  are 
all  changing." 

"  This  fellow's  dreadful  on  history  ?  "  said 
Norton  to  Matilda.  "I  used  to  tiling  he 
went  on  as  the  coloured  waiter  just  then 
came  in  with  coffee,  "  I  used  to  think 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  263 

there  were  some  of  Ham's  children  left 
yet." 

"  But  not  a  nation,"  said  David. 

The  one  of  Ham's  children  in  question 
came  round  to  them  at  this  minute,  and  the 
talk  was  interrupted  by  the  business  of  cream 
and  sugar.  The  four  children  were  all  round 
the  coffee  tray,  when  Mrs.  Laval's  voice  was 
heard  calling  Matilda.  Matilda  went  across 
the  room  to  her. 

"  Are  they  giving  you  coffee,  my  darling  ?  " 
said  Mrs.  Laval,  putting  her  arm  round 
her. 

"  I  was  just  going  to  have  some." 

"I  don't  want  you  to  take  it.  Will  it 
seem  very  hard  to  deny  yourself?" 

"  Why  no,"  said  Matilda ;  then  with  an 
effort,  —  "  No,  mamma  ;  not  if  you  wish  me 
to  let  it  alone." 

"  I  do.  I  don't  want  this  delicate  colour 
on  your  cheek,"  and  she  touched  it  as  she 
spoke,  "  to  grow  thick  and  muddy ;  I  want 
the  skin  to  be  as  fair  and  clear  as  it  is  now." 


264  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

«  Norton  takes  coffee,"  said  Mrs.  Barthol- 
omew. 

"  I  know.  Norton  is  a  boy.  It  don't  mat- 
ter." 

"  Judy  ! "  Mrs.  Bartholomew  called  across 
the  room,  "Judy!  don't  you  touch  cof- 
fee." 

"  It's  so  hot  mamma,  I  don't  touch  it.  I 
swallow  it  without  touching.  It  goes  right 
down." 

"  I  don't  like  you  to  drink  it." 

"  It  would  be  a  great  deal  pleasanter  to 
drink  it,  than  to  swallow  it  in  that  way,"  said 
Judy,  coming  across  the  room  with  a  hop, 
skip  and  jump  indescribable.  "  But  coffee 
is  coffee  anyhow.  Mayn't  I  take  it  a  little 
cooler  and  a  little  slower  next  time  ?  " 

"  It  will  make  your  complexion  thick." 

"  It  will  make  my  eyes  bright,  though," 
said  Judy  unblushingly. 

"  I  never  heard  that,"  said  Mrs.  Barthol- 
omew laughing. 

"  O  but  I  have,  though,"  said  Judy.     "  I 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  26$ 

have  seen  your  eyes  ever  so  bright,  mamma, 
when  you  have  been  drinking  coffee." 

"  Yours  are  bright  enough  without  it," 
said  her  mother. 

"  Yes'm,"  said  Judy  contentedly,  standing 
her  ground. 

Matilda  wondered  a  good  deal  at  both 
mother  and  daughter,  and  she  was  amused 
too ;  Judy  was  so  funnily  impudent,  and  Mrs. 
Bartholomew  so  lazily  authoritative.  She 
nestled  within  Mrs.  Laval's  arm  which  encir- 
cled her,  and  felt  safe,  in  the  midst  of  very 
strange  social  elements.  Mrs.  Lloyd  eyed 
her. 

"  How  old  is  that  child,  Zara  ?  " 

«  About  Judith's  age." 

"  No,  she  isn't,  aunt  Zara,"  said  Judy. 
"  She  is  about  seven  years  and  three 
months." 

"  And  what  are  you  ?  "  said  her  aunt. 

"  Judith  is  over  twelve,"  said  Mrs.  Bar- 
tholomew. "  Surely  that  child  is  not  so 
old?" 


266  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

"  Matilda  is  the  shortest,"  said  Mrs.  Laval, 
looking  from  one  to  the  other. 

"  And  much  the  youngest  looking,"  said 
Mrs.  Lloyd.  "  How  do  you  like  New  York, 
my  dear  ?  " 

"  She  likes  it,"  said  Judy,  — "  if  she  only 
could  have  got  a  black  satin  cloak." 

Matilda  stared  at  her  in  mingled  amaze- 
ment and  shame.  Mrs.  Laval  laughed  and 
hugged  Matilda  up  a  little  closer. 

"A  black  satin  cloak?"  she  repeated. 
"  Did  you  wish  for  a  black  satin  cloak,  my 
dear?" 

"  Trimmed  with  a  deep  fall  of  lace,"  added 
Judy. 

"  O  Judy,"  exclaimed  Matilda,  "  you  said 
nothing  about  lace  !  " 

"  You  wanted  it,  though,"  said  Judith. 

"  I  never  thought  of  such  a  thing,  mamma, 
as  lace,"  said  Matilda  appealingly. 

"  But  you  did  wish  for  the  satin  ?  " 

"  Judy  seemed  to  think  it  would  be  pretty. 
She  wanted  me  to  ask  you  to  get  it." 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  267 

The  shout  of  laughter  which  was  raised 
upon  this,  Matilda  did  not  at  all  understand. 
They  all  laughed,  Judy  not  the  least  of  them. 
Matilda  was  very  much  ashamed. 

«  Oh  Judy,  Judy  !  "  her  aunt  said.  «  Ma- 
tilda, black  satin  is  what  old  ladies  wear. 
She  has  been  fooling  you,  as  she  fools  every- 
body. You  mustn't  believe  Judy  Barthol- 
omew in  anything  she  tells  you.  You  would 
be  a  little  old  woman,  in  a  black  satin  cloak 
with  deep  lace." 

"  She  said  nothing  about  lace,"  Matilda 
repeated.  "  But  I  shall  learn  what  is  proper, 
in  her  company." 

And  Matilda's  little  head,  despite  her  con- 
fusion, took  the  airy  set  upon  her  shoulders 
which  was  with  her  the  unconscious  expres- 
sion of  disdain  or  disapprobation.  There  was 
another  burst  of  laughter. 

"  Your  shoulders  are  older  than  your  face, 
my  dear,"  observed  Mrs.  Lloyd.  "  Judith 
must  take  care  what  she  does.  I  see  there 
is  something  in  you." 


268  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

Happily  this  speech  was  Greek  to  Matilda  ; 
she  had  not  the  least  knowledge  of  what 
called  it  forth.  However,  she  took  it  as  a 
sign  that  Mrs.  Lloyd  was  beginning  to  like 
her  a  little.  All  the  more  she  was  sorry, 
as  her  feet  went  up  the  stairs  that  night,  that 
the  way  was  not  clear  about  the  Christmas 
gift  for  the  stately  old  lady. 

She  had  meant  to  speak  of  it  to  the  other 
children,  but  had  no  chance.  After  Mrs. 
Laval  called  her  to  tell  her  about  the  coffee, 
the  quartette  party  was  broken  up ;  the  two 
boys  had  left  the  room  and  not  come  back 
again.  So  what  would  have  been  better 
disposed  of  at  once,  was  of  necessity  laid 
over  to  the  next  day.  Matilda  had  scruples 
about  taking  part  in  a  gift  that  had  anything 
to  do  with  the  promotion  of  drinking.  She 
knew  well  enough  what  liqueur  was ;  she 
had  tasted  it  on  the  occasion  of  that  first 
memorable  visit  she  and  Maria  had  made  to 
Mrs.  Laval's  house;  she  knew  it  was  very 
strong,  stronger  than  wine,  she  thought ;  for 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  269 

people  only  drank  it  out  of  little  glasses  that 
would  not  hold  much  more  than  a  good 
thimbleful.  She  had  seen  it  once  or  twice 
already  at  Mrs.  Lloyd's  served  after  dinner. 
She  had  seen  David  and  Norton  and  Judy 
all  take  it.  Now  she  herself  was  pledged  to 
do  all  she  could  in  the  cause  of  temperance. 
Her  all  would  not  be  much  here,  something 
said  to  her;  nobody  would  mind  what  she 
thought  or  said ;  true.  Nevertheless,  ought 
she  not  to  do  what  she  could?  according  to 
her  old  motto.  And  following  her  new 
motto,  to  "  do  all  in  the  name  of  the  Lord 
Jesus,"  could  she  rightly  join,  even  silently, 
in  a  plan  to  make  a  present  of  drinking 
flasks  and  glasses  ?  But  if  she  refused,  what 
a  fuss  it  would  make  ! 

Matilda  went  slowly  up  the  stairs  thinking 
of  it ;  and  arrived  in  her  room,  she  turned  on 
the  gas  and  opened  her  Bible  and  sat  down 
to  study  the  question.  She  found  she  could 
not  read,  any  more  than  those  few  strong 
words ;  they  seemed  to  cover  the  whole 


270  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

ground ;  "  Whatsoever  ye  do,  in  word  or 
deed,  do  all  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus." 
Could  she,  as  his  little  servant,  help  the  other 
children  in  giving  such  a  gift?  And  she 
was  pledged,  as  a  member  of  the  Commission 
no  less  than  as  a  servant  of  Christ,  to  do  all 
she  could  for  the  cause  of  temperance. 
Would  it  not  be  something  for  the  cause  of 
temperance,  if  she  declared  off  from  having 
anything  to  do  with  the  liqueur  stand  ?  She 
had  felt  she  must  try  somehow  to  speak  to 
David  and  Norton  about  their  own  drinking 
wine ;  this  was  a  good  chance,  and  if  she  let 
this  chance  go  —  I  can  never  do  it  another 
time,  she  thought  to  herself.  But  oh,  the 
difficulty  and  the  pain  of  it !  They  thought 
her  a  baby,  and  a  little  country  girl,  who 
knew  nothing ;  they  would  laugh  at  her  so, 
and  perhaps  be  angry  too.  How  could  she 
do  it !  And  once  or  twice  Matilda  put  her 
head  down  on  her  book  in  the  struggle,  wish- 
ing with  all  her  heart  it  were  not  so  hard  to 
be  a  Christian. 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  2>JI 

But  all  her  thoughts  and  her  prayers  only 
made  her  more  and  more  sure  which  way  lay 
the  course  of  duty ;  and  along  with  that 
grew  a  heavy  looking  forward  to  the  next 
day  and  the  trial  it  would  bring.  How  to 
manage  the  matter  best  was  a  question.  To 
speak  privately  to  Norton  alone  would  be  far 
the  easiest ;  but  then,  that  might  not  secure 
the  effect  of  her  protest  against  wine  and 
cordials  and  all  such  things,  as  she  wished 
to  make  it;  Norton  would  perhaps  cover  it 
up,  for  the  sake  of  shielding  her  and  himself 
from  the  reproaches  of  the  others ;  and  so 
the  work  would  not  be  done.  She  could  not 
decide.  She  was  obliged  to  go  to  bed  and 
leave  it  to  circumstances  to  open  the  way  for 
her.  She  half  made  up  her  mind  that  the 
"  opportunities  "  of  her  new  position  were  as 
likely  to  be  opportunities  for  self  denial  as 
for  anything  else.  This  was  not  what  she 
had  expected. 

Saturday    morning    rose     still    and    fair. 
The  wind  had  gone  down;  the  severe  ct>ld 


272  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

had  abated ;  the  weather  was  beautifully 
prosperous  for  the  children's  expedition. 
Now  if  Matilda  could  get  a  chance  to  speak 
before  they  set  out — It  would  be  awkward 
to  have  to  speak  in  the  store,  maybe  before  a 
shopman,  and  when  they  were  all  on  the  very 
point  of  finishing  what  they  came  to  do. 
Matilda  was  ready  to  wish  the  day  had  been 
stormy;  and  yet  she  wanted  to  go  to 
Tiffany's,  where  Norton  had  said  he  would 
take  her ;  and  to  Candello's  too,  for  the  mat- 
ter of  that 

There  was  another  question  Matilda  had 
to  settle  with  herself,  only  she  could  not  at- 
tend to  so  many  things  at  once.  Her  twenty 
dollars  for  Christmas  purchases ;  how  was  all 
that  to  be  spent  "  in  the  name  of  the  Lord 
Jesus  "  ?  She  could  not  think  of  it  just  now, 
except  by  snatches ;  she  kept  remembering  it, 
and  trying  to  reckon  how  many  people  she 
had  to  buy  things  for.  New  York  certainly 
was  a  very  puzzling  place  to  live  in. 

The  other  children  seemed  to  be  as  full  of 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  273 

business  as  she,  and  much  less  quiet  about  it. 
So  Matilda  did  not  find  a  chance  to  speak  to 
Norton  in  private,  which  in  her  trouble  she 
would  have  done  if  she  could.  It  was  all 
bustle  and  discussion  till  they  went  to  get 
ready  for  their  walk.  Matilda  laced  on  her 
new  boots,  Judy  won't  have  any  occasion  to 
look  scornfully  at  those,  she  said  to  herself. 
They  are  as  nice  as  they  can  be. 

A  little  to  her  surprise,  when  she  got  down- 
stairs she  found  Miss  Judy  dressed  in  a  black 
silk  pelisse.  What  was  the  difference  be- 
tween silk  and  satin,  Matilda  wondered  ? 
Judy  caught  her  glance  perhaps,  for  with  a 
twinkle  of  her  own  sharp  black  eyes  she  burst 
out  into  a  peal  of  laughter. 

"What  is  the  matter  no  w  ?  "  her  brother  asked. 

"  Things  become  people  so  differently," 
said  Judith  saucily.  "  Something  you 
couldn't  understand,  Davy;  men  don't,  nor 
boys  neither.  Matilda  and  I  understand." 

"  Matilda  don't  understand  much  that  you 
do,"  said  Norton. 

18 


274  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

"  An'  that's  thrue  for  ye !  "  said  Judy  with 
a  strong  Irish  accent.  "  Faith,  the  craythur, 
she's  just  innicent !  " 

"  Hush,  Judy,"  said  her  brother  laughing  ; 
and  "  You're  a  case,  Judy,"  said  Norton;  and 
so  they  went  out  at  the  front  door.  Matilda's 
opportunity  was  gone;  she  had  thought  to 
speak  out  to  them  all  while  they  were  in  the 
hall ;  and  now  she  was  a  little  too  vexed  to 
speak,  for  a  while.  However,  it  was  a  gay 
walk  down  the  avenue  and  then  down  Broad- 
way. The  day  was  very  fine  and  all  the 
world  seemed  to  be  out  and  astir.  Norton 
was  talking  very  busily  too,  and  the  excite- 
ment of  business  soon  chased  away  the  mo- 
mentary excitement  of  displeasure.  In  the 
midst  of  all  this,  every  few  blocks  they  came 
to  street  sweepers.  A  little  girl  or  a  little 
boy,  grey  and  ragged,  keeping  a  clean  cross- 
ing and  holding  out  eager  little  hands  for  the 
pennies  they  did  not  get.  David  and  Norton 
and  Judith  did  not  so  much  as  look  at  the  chil- 
dren, passing  the  outstretched  hands  as  if  un- 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 


275 


seen ;  and  Matilda  had  no  pennies ;  nothing 
but  her  twenty  dollar  bill.  Every  few  blocks 
there  was  one  of  these  poor,  grey  dusty  fig- 
ures and  one  of  those  little  empty  hands. 
Matilda  might  have  forgotten  one  or  two, 
if  that  had  been  all ;  it  was  impossible  to  for- 
get this  company.  How  came  their  life  to  be 
so  different  from  her  life  ?  What  a  hard  way 
to  spend  one's  days !  always  at  a  street  cor- 
ner. And  where  did  they  hide  themselves  at 
night  ?  And  did  any  of  those  poor  little  ones 
ever  know  what  Christmas  meant  ?  And 
most  of  all,  what  could  or  ought  she  to  do  for 
them,  she  who  had  so  much  ?  What  could 
be  squeezed  out  of  those  twenty  dollars  to 
refresh  the  corners  of  the  streets  ?  anything  ? 

Thinking  about  this,  and  replying  to  Nor- 
ton, and  finding  her  way  among  the  crowds 
of  people,  they  had  come  to  Candello's  before 
Matilda  had  found  a  time  to  speak  anything 
of  what  was  chiefly  on  her  mind. 

It  was  a  long  bright  store,  elegant  with  its 
profusion  of  beautiful  things  in  glass  and  por- 


276  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

celain  and  bronze.  Every  foot  of  the  coun- 
ters and  of  the  floor,  along  the  sides  of  the 
room,  seemed  to  Matilda  to  be  filled  with 
things  to' be  looked  at.  Such  beautiful  ba- 
sins and  ewers,  just  for  washing!  Such 
charming  vases  and  flower  glasses !  Such 
handsome  clocks  and  statuettes  and  lamps! 
Then  there  were  painted  cups,  and  flowered 
goblets  and  tumblers,  and  flasks  wonderfully 
cut,  and  bowls,  large  and  beautiful,  but 
clearly  not  for  toilet  use,  that  excited  Ma- 
tilda's wonderment.  She  was  lost  in  delight 
as  well  as  wonder. 

"  Here,"  said  David,  and  the  word  struck 
like  a  blow  upon  her  nerves  of  hearing, — 
"  here  is  the  article.  Isn't  that  unexception- 
able now  ?  " 

With  the  others,  Matilda  turned  to  see 
what  he  was  pointing  at.  A  glass  liqueur 
stand,  with  a  crystal  flask  and  tiny  cups  to 
match ;  as  pretty  and  elegant  as  it  could  be  ; 
even  rare  in  its  delicate  richness  among  so 
many  delicate  and  rich  things.  The  others 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  277 

were  eager  in  their  praise.  Matilda  was 
silent. 

"  Don't  you  like  it,  Pink  ?  "  said  Norton. 

"  It  is  as  pretty  as  it  can  possibly  be,"  Ma- 
tilda answered.  "  But  Norton  "  — 

"  Then  we  might  as  well  get  it,"  said  Nor- 
ton. "  We're  all  agreed.  There's  no  use  in 
looking  further  when  you  are  suited." 

"  So  I  think,"  said  David.  "  I  never 
do." 

"  That  is  as  good  as  Mrs.  Lloyd  could  do 
for  herself,"  said  Judith. 

"  But  Norton  "  —  said  Matilda. 

"  Shall  we  have  our  names  put  on  the 
cups  ?  "  said  Norton. 

"  But  Norton,"  said  Matilda  desperately, 
"  we  are  not  all  agreed.  I  am  very  sorry !  — 
I  like  it  very  much  —  it's  beautiful"  — 

"  You  are  afraid  you  haven't  money 
enough  ? "  said  Norton.  "  Never  fear ! 
Davy  and  I  will  pay  the  largest  half;  you 
and  Judy  shall  give  less,  but  it  don't  make 
any  difference.  I'll  tell  you !  David  and  I 


278  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

will  get  the  stand  and  the  flask  ;  and  you  two 
shall  give  the  cups." 

"  It  isn't  that,"  said  Matilda,  very  much 
distressed  ;  "it  is  not  that,  Norton  ;  it  is  some- 
thing else.  It  is  "  — 

"What  in  the  world  is  it?"  said  Judy, 
balancing  herself  daintily  on  one  toe. 

"  It  is  —  that  I  don't  drink  wine,  you 
know." 

"  What's  that  to  do  ?  "  said  Judy,  while 
the  two  boys  both  looked  at  Matilda.  "  You 
haven't  to  drink  or  let  it  alone ;  it  is  not  for 
your  use  anyhow." 

"  No,  I  know  that ;  but  I  don't  think  it  is 
right — I  mean,  —  I  mean,"  said  Matilda, 
gathering  courage,  "  I  have  promised  to  do  all 
I  can  to  prevent  people  from  drinking  wine. 
I  can't  help  in  such  a  present  as  this." 

"  They  don't  drink  wine  out  of  these  little 
cups,"  said  David.  "  It  is  something  differ- 
ent ;  it  is  Noyau,  or  Curagoa,  or  Chartreuse, 
or  Maraschino,  or  some  of  those  things,  you 
know." 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 


279 


"  Yes,  but  it  is  stronger,"  said  Matilda  in  a 
low  voice.  "  It's  stronger  than  wine." 

"  She's  temperance !  "  exclaimed  Judith, 
turning  round  on  one  heel  and  coming  back 
into  position.  "  She's  temperance  !  We 
are  all  wicked  at  Mrs.  Lloyd's ;  we  drink 
Hock  and  we  sip  CuraQoa.  I  suppose  she 
has  only  been  where  people  drink  gin  and 
lager ;  and  she  thinks  it's  all  alike." 

"  She  has  been  at  Briery  Bank,  Judy,"  said 
Norton,  "  where  the  wines  are  as  good  as  in 
Blessington  Avenue." 

"  Then  she  ought  to  have  learned  better!" 
said  Judy.  "  That's  all  I  have  to  say." 

"  But  Pink,"  said  Norton,  and  he  was  very 
kind,  though  he  looked  vexed,  —  "  this  is  not 
anything  about  your  drinking  or  not  drinking, 
you  know.  Grandmamma  will  have  her 
wine  and  she  will  offer  her  cordial,  just  the 
same ;  it  don't  make  any  difference ;  only  we 
want  to  give  her  something  she  will  like,  and 
she  will  like  this ;  don't  you  see  ?  " 

"  Yes,   Norton,   I   see,"  said    Matilda,  her 


280  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

eyes  filling  with  tears ;  "  I  am  very  sorry  ; 
but  I  wish  you  and  David  wouldn't  have  any- 
thing to  do  with  wine,  either." 

"  She  don't  mention  me  \  "  exclaimed  Judy. 
"  Either  I'm  so  good  I'm  safe ;  or  I'm  so  bad 
it's  no  use  trying  to  take  care  of  me.  You 
poor  boys,  she  will  try  to  take  care  of  you. 
What  impertinence ! " 

"  No  more  than  if  you  did  it,  Judy,  come, 
now !  "  said  Norton.  "  It's  no  such  thing ; 
it's  only  nonsense.  Now  Pink,  don't  be 
nonsensical ! " 

"  We  can  do  it  without  her  being  in  the 
affair,  if  she  doesn't  like  it,"  said  David. 
"  But  I  do  not  understand,"  he  went  on,  ad- 
dressing himself  to  Matilda.  "  Giving  a 
present  isn't  drinking  wine,  is  it  ?  " 

"  No,"  said  Matilda,  who  by  this  time 
could  hardly  speak  at  all.  "  But  Mr.  David, 
it  is  helping  somebody  else  to  drink." 

"  Do  you  think  what  you  do  would  help  or 
hinder  ?  " 

"  What  you  do  might." 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  281 

"  We  shall  go  on  just  the  same,  whatever 
way  you  take.  What  difference  can  it  make, 
whether  your  money  is  in  it  or  not  ?  "  . 

"  I  don't  know,"  said  Matilda  struggling ; 
—  "  none,  perhaps,  whether  my  money  is  in 
it.  But  my  name  would  be  in  it." 

"  Do  you  think  that  would  make  any  dif- 
ference ?  —  stop,  Norton,  I  want  to  under- 
stand what  she  will  say.  What  would  your 
name  do,  in  it  or  out  of  it  ?  " 

"  Ridiculous!  to  spend  time  talking  to  her!" 
said  Judy.  "  That  is  just  what  she  wants." 

But  David  waited  for  his  answer;  and 
Matilda's  eyes  were  all  glittering,  while  her 
little  head  took  its  inexpressible  air  of  self- 
assertion. 

"I  don't  know— I  can't,  tell,"  she  said, 
answering  David  as  if  she  had  not  heard 
Judy  ;  — "  it  might  do  nothing,  but  I  have 
promised  to  use  it  on  the  right  side." 

"  Promised  whom  ?  "  said  David.  "  Maybe 
it  is  a  promise  that  need  not  stand.  Prom- 
ised whom  ?  " 


282  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

"  Yes,  whom  did  you  promise,  Pink  ? " 
said  Norton. 

Matilda  hesitated  and  then  spoke. 

"  I  promised  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,"  she 
said  slowly. 

She  was  looking  at  nobody  in  particular, 
yet  her  eye  caught  the  expression  of  annoy- 
ance on  Norton's  face ;  she  did  not  see  the 
cloud  of  disgust  and  surprise  that  came  over 
David's.  He  turned  away.  Judith's  eyes 
snapped. 

«  Isn't  that  neat  now  ?  "  she  said.  "  We 
have  got  a  saint  among  us,  sure  enough. 
Well  —  saints  know  how  to  take  care  of  their 
money;  we  all  know  that.  What  .are  we 
poor  sinners  going  to  do  for  grandmamma's 
present  ?  that's  the  question.  I  propose  that 
we  get  her  a  prayerbook,  very  large,  and 
black,  with  gilt  clasps  and  her  name  on  the 
cover ;  then  everybody  will  know  that  Mrs. 
Lloyd  is  a  good  woman  and  goes  to  church." 

"  Be  still,  Judy  ! "  said  her  brother  sternly. 

"  Propose  something  yourself  then,"   said 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  283 

Judith.  "  We  can't  do  anything  at  Can- 
dello's,  that's  clear.  I  don't  believe  there's 
an  innocent  thing  here  beside  tea  cups.  I've 
seen  people  drink  brandy  and  water  in  tum- 
blers ;  and  bowls  hold  whiskey  punch.  Dear 
me!  what  a  pity  it  is  that  good  things  are  so 
bad  ! " 

"  Hush,  Judy  !  "  said  Norton  ;  "  you  won't 
hurt  anybody  by  being  too  good." 

"  It's  a  way  I  despise,"  said  Judith  coolly. 
"  When  I  hurt  anybody,  I  like  to  know  it. 
I  never  shut  my  eyes  and  fire." 

"  It's  a  wonder  you  don't  take  better  aim, 
then,"  said  Norton  impatiently.  "  You  are 
firing  wild  just  now.  Matilda  has  a  right  to 
think  as  she  likes,  and  she  don't  shut  her  eyes 
and  fire.  There's  nothing  of  a  coward  about 
her.  But  then  we  don't  think  as  she  thinks, 
about  some  things ;  and  I  say  we'll  get  this 
liqueur  stand  and  she  shall  find  something 
else  for  her  part." 

«  I'll  tell  all  about  it,  though,  at  home,'1 
said  Judy. 


284  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

"  I  dare  say  Matilda  would  as  lieve  you 
did,"  said  Norton.  "  Come,  David  —  will  you 
finish  this  business  ?  You  and  I  and  Judy 
will  go  thirds  in  it.  I've  got  some  other  mat- 
ters to  attend  to  with  Matilda,  and  time  is 
running  away  ;  and  Monday  school  begins. 
Come,  Pink  —  we  have  got  to  go  to  Tif- 
fany's." 

"What  o'clock  is  it,  Norton?"  Matilda 
asked  as  soon  as  they  were  outside  of  the 
shop. 

"  Near  twelve,  Pink.  I  declare !  time  does 
run." 

"  Norton,  couldn't  we  go  home  first,  and 
go  to  Tiffany's  after  luncheon  ?  there'll  be  a 
long  afternoon,  you  know." 

"  Every  place  is  so  crowded  in  the  after- 
noon," said  Norton.  "  But  you  want  to  go 
home,  Pink  ?  Well,  you  shall.  We  shouldn't 
have  much  time  before  luncheon,  that's  a 
fact." 

So  they  got  into  a  street  car  that  was 
passing. 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  285 

«  Whatever  made  you  say  that,  Pink  ? " 
Norton  burst  out  when  they  were  seated. 
"  David  and  Judy  are  set  against  you 
now." 

"  I  think  they  were  before,  Norton." 

"  No,  they  weren't ;  or  if  they  were,  I  don't 
care;  they  had  nothing  to  say.  Now  you 
have  given  them  a  handle." 

"  I  didn't  say  anything  very  bad,"  said 
Matilda  with  her  voice  trembling  a  little. 

"  No,  but  they'll  take  it  so.  What  is  it  to 
us,  what  grandmamma,  or  any  one  else,  does 
with  a  thing  after  we  have  given  it?  Thai 
is  none  of  our  affair.  We  only  make  the 
present." 

"  It  would  be  very  strange,  though,  to  give 
anybody  something  you  were  not  willing  he 
should  use,"  said  Matilda. 

"  Of  course.  I  am  willing.  I  don't  care 
what  anybody  does  with  a  thing,  after  /  have 
done  with  it." 

"  I  care,"  said  Matilda  softly. 

«  Why  ?  Now  Pink,  you  don't.     What  do 


286  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

you  care  whether  grandmamma  drinks  cur- 
a$oa  or  not  after  dinner  ?  " 

Matilda  hesitated. 

"  I  wish  she  wouldn't,"  she  said  then 
again  softly.  "  Then  you  and  David  and 
Judy  wouldn't." 

"  Why  shouldn't  we  ?  "  said  Norton  rather 
shortly. 

"  Because,  people  get  too  fond  of  such 
things.  And  it  ruins  them." 

"  It  hasn't  ruined  me  yet,"  said  Norton. 

But  that  was  about  as  far  as  Matilda 
could  go,  and  she  burst  into  tears.  She  kept 
them  back  bravely,  while  they  were  in  the 
car,  but  she  could  not  find  voice  to  reply  to 
any  of  Norton's  kind  words,  which  were 
meant  to  be  very  soothing ;  and  as  soon  as 
they  got  home  she  went  straight  to  her  room. 
Norton  went  to  his  mother. 

"  We  have  had  a  splendid  confounded 
time!  mamma,"  he  burst  out. 

"  Splendid  and  confounded  ?  "  his  mother 
repeated. 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  287 

"  No,  ma'am.  Splendidly  confounded,  I 
should  have  said.  We  went  to  get  grand- 
mamma's present.  And  Pink,  she  has  con- 
trived to  make  David  and  Judy  as  mad  with 
her  as  they  can  be ;  and  that's  saying  a  good 
deal,  when  you  are  talking  English.  Now 
how  it's  to  be  undone,  I  don't  know.  I  sup- 
pose Pink  is  crying  her  eyes  out  about  it. 
She  had  no  heart  to  go  to  Tiffany's  or  any- 
thing. We  are  going  after  dinner,  though." 

"But  what  is  the  matter?  what  has  she 
done,  Norton  ?  " 

"  Came  out  with  temperance  and  religion, 
and  all  that  sort  of  thing,  to  David  and  Judy ; 
fancy  it,  mamma !  and  more  than  that,  with 
the  very  part  of  religion  that  they  like  least 
of  all.  Wouldn't  help  us  buy  a  liqueur  stand 
for  grandmamma,  because  she  doesn't  think 
it  is  right  to  use  cordials." 

"  What  a  child  ! "  exclaimed  Mrs.  Laval. 

"  She's  got  pluck,"  said  Norton,  picking  up 
a  pin  from  the  floor  and  energetically  giving 
it  a  cast  into  the  fire ;  "  she's  a  brick,  she  is  ! 


288  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

I  knew  that  the  first  day  I  saw  her ;  but 
mamma,  she  is  very  soft  in  that  spot." 

Mrs.  Laval  looked  sober.  Perhaps  she 
remembered  that  the  late  Mr.  Laval  had  also 
been  soft  in  that  spot,  though  in  an  entirely 
different  way.  Perhaps  she  recollected  how 
many  variously  shaped  glasses  were  needed 
around  his  dinner  plate,  and  how  he  carried 
about  a  strong  breath  and  a  red  face  for 
hours  afterward,  and  how  she  had  been  some- 
times ever  so  little  ashamed  of  him.  She 
was  now  silent. 

"  Mamma,  can't  you  talk  to  her  ?  "  Norton 
began  again. 

"  About  what  ?  "  said  Mrs.  Laval  starting. 

"  This,  ma'am  ;  and  make  her  a  little  more 
like  other  people." 

"  I  would  just  as  lieve  she  wouldn't  drink 
wine,  Norton  ;  or  you  either." 

"  Or  grandmamma  either,  mamma  ?  " 

"  You  have  nothing  to  do  with  that.  Your 
grandmamma  is  an  old  lady.  I  am  not  talk- 
ing of  grandmamma,  but  of  you." 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  289 

"  Well  do  you  want  Matilda  to  preach 
temperance,  ma'am  ?  " 

"  You  let  Matilda  alone.  She  will  not  go 
far  wrong.  She  is  never  forward.  Was  she 
to-day  ?  " 

"No,"  said  Norton  laughing  a  little;  "it 
was  like  a  small  canary  bird  chirping  out  a 
lecture." 

"  You  let  her  alone,"  Mrs.  Laval  repeated  ; 
"  and  don't  let  the  others  plague  her.  And 
go  get  yourself  ready  to  go  to  the  table,  my 
boy  ;  the  time  for  luncheon  is  very  near." 

"  T  can't  help  Judy's  plaguing  her,"  said 
Norton  as  he  turned  to  go.  "  David  won't 
do  anything.  But  won't  he  hate  her,  from 
now!" 


19 


CHAPTER    IX. 

TVTORTON  ran  off  upstairs.  His  mother 
waited  till  he  was  safe  in  his  room  and 
then  followed  him.  But  she  stopped  at  Ma- 
tilda's door  and  softly  went  in.  Matilda's 
hat  was  off;  that  was  all ;  and  on  her  knees 
beside  a  chair  the  little  girl  was,  with  bowed 
head,  and  sobbing.  Mrs.  Laval's  arms  came 
round  her,  gently  drew  her  up  and  enfolded 
her.  "  What  is  all  this  ?  "  she  whispered. 

Matilda's  face  was  hid. 

"What's  the  matter,  my  darling?"  Mrs. 
Laval  repeated.  "  Norton  has  told  me  all 
about  it  —  there  is  nothing  for  you  to  cry 
about." 

"Is  he  angry  with  me?"  Matilda  whis- 
pered. 

"  Angry  with   you!    No,  indeed.     Norton 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 


29I 


could  not  be  that.  And  there  is  nothing  else 
you  need  mind." 

"  I  am  very  sorry ! "  said  poor  Matilda.  "  I 
hurt  all  their  pleasure  this  morning,  and  they 
thought  I  was  —  very  disagreeable,  I  believe." 

"  Nobody  ever  thought  that  yet,"  said  Mrs. 
Laval  laughing  a  little ;  "  and  no  harm  is 
done.  It  was  nonsense  for  them  to  get  you 
into  that  business  at  all.  It  is  all  very  well 
for  them  to  give  their  grandmother  a  present ; 
but  for  you  it  is  quite  needless  ;  it  is  her  place 
to  give  to  you,  and  not  yours  to  give  to  her  ; 
the  cases  are  different.  Norton  forgot  that." 

"  Then  she  will  not  think  it  strange  that  I 
am  not  in  it  ?  "  said  Matilda  lifting  up  her 
face  at  last. 

"  Not  at  all.  It  would  be  more  strange  if 
you  were  in  it." 

"  Norton  proposed  it." 

"  Yes,  I  know ;  but  Norton  is  not  infalli- 
ble. He  has  made  a  mistake  this  time." 

"  But  I  offended  them,  mamma,"  said  Ma- 
tilda. 


292  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

"  They  will  get  over  it.  Now  dry  your 
eyes  and  take  your  coat  off,  and  we  will  go 
down  to  luncheon." 

They  went  down  together,  and  Mrs.  Laval 
took  care  that  no  annoyance  came  to  Matilda 
during  the  meal.  So  after  luncheon  she  was 
all  ready  to  take  a  new  start  with  Norton  for 
Tiffany's. 

"  You  see,  Pink,"  said  Norton  as  they  were 
riding  down,  "  all  you  have  to  do  is  to  let 
people  go  their  own  way,  and  you  go  your's. 
That's  all.  That's  the  way  so  many  carts  get 
through  the  streets.  It  isn't  necessary  to 
knock  up  against  every  one  you  come  to  ; 
and  people  don't  like  it." 

"  I  was  only  going  my  own  way,  Norton," 
Matilda  said  gently ;  «  but  I  had  to  give  the 
reason  for  it;  and  that  was  what  you  all 
didn't  like." 

"  Your  reason  interfered  with  our  way, 
though,"  said  Norton.  "  You  as  good  as  said 
it  is  wrong  to  do  something  we  all  do." 

"  Well,"  said  Matilda  very  slowly,—  «  ought 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  293 

you  not  to  try  to  hinder  people  from  doing 
what  is  not  right  ?  " 

"  How  do  you  know  what  is  not  right  ?  " 
said  Norton. 

"  The  Bible  tells." 

"  Where  does  the  Bible  say  it  is  wrong  to 
drink  wine  ?  "  Norton  asked  quickly. 

"  I'll  shew  you  when  we  get  home." 

"  Everybody  does  it,  anyhow,"  said  Norton ; 
"  and  one  must  do  what  everybody  does." 

"  Mr.  Richmond  don't,  Norton." 

"  Mr.  Richmond  !     He's  a  minister." 

"  Well !  Other  people  ought  to  be  as  good 
as  ministers." 

"They  can V  said  Norton.  "Besides  — 
Mr.  Richmond  is  all  very  well ;  he's  a  brick ; 
but  then  he  is  not  a  fashionable  man,  and  he 
don't  know  the  world." 

"  Are  ministers  ever  fashionable  men  ? " 
said  Matilda,  opening  her  eyes  a  little. 

"  Certainly.  Why  not.  Dr.  Blandford  likes 
a  good  glass  of  wine  as  well  as  any  one,  and 
knows  how  to  drink  it.  He  likes  a  good 
dinner  too." 


294  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

"What  do  you  mean,  Norton?  Anybody 
knows  how  to  drink  a  glass  of  wine." 

"  Everybody  don't  know  how  to  drink  half 
a  dozen  glasses,  though,"  said  Norton.  "  A 
wine  may  be  out  of  place  ;  and  it  is  not  good 
out  of  place." 

"  You  take  it  at  dinner,"  said  Matilda. 

"  Yes,  but  different  wines  at  different  times 
of  the  dinner,"  said  Norton.  "  Everything  in 
its  place,  as  much  as  everything  in  its  own 
glass,  and  much  more.  For  instance,  you 
take  light  wines  with  the  soup ;  Hock,  or 
Sauterne,  or  grandmamma's  favorite  Greek 
wine.  Then  champagne  with  the  dinner. 
Port  goes  with  the  cheese.  Then  claret  is 
good  with  the  fruit ;  and  sherry  and  madeira 
with  the  dessert,  or  any  time.  And  Dr. 
Blandford  likes  a  bowl  of  whiskey  punch  to 
finish  off  with." 

"  Is  he  your  minister  ?  " 

«  Dr.  Blandford  ?  yes.  That  is,  he's  grand- 
mamma's." 

"  Do  you  think  he  is  as  good  as  Mr.  Rich- 
mond ?  " 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 


295 


"  He's  better,  for  a  dinner  party,"  said  Nor- 
ton. "  He  knows  what's  what,  as  well  as  any- 
body. Now  Pink,  jump  out ;  here  we  are." 

The  stately  brown- fronted  store  struck  Ma- 
tilda with  a  certain  sense  of  awe.  Dr.  Bland- 
ford  was  forgotten  for  the  present.  She 
followed  Norton  in,  and  stood  still  to  take 
breath. 

"  Now,"  said  Norton,  "  what  shall  we  look 
at  first  ?  What  do  you  want  ?  How  many 
things  have  you  got  to  get,  anyhow,  Pink  ?  " 

"  You  know  how  many  people  there  are  at 
home.  Then  there  are  two  or  three  others  I 
have  to  think  of." 

"  Hm  !  —  seven  or  eight,  I  declare,"  said 
Norton.  "  Well,  let  us  walk  round  and  see 
everything  generally." 

There  were  a  good  many  people  who 
seemed  to  be  doing  just  that;  besides  a  crowd 
who  were  undoubtedly  purchasers.  Slowly 
Norton  and  Matilda  began  their  round  of  the 
counters.  Very  slowly  they  went;  for  the 
loads  of  rich  plate  were  a  great  marvel  to  the 


296  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

unused  eyes  of  the  little  girl.  She  had  to  beg 
a  great  deal  of  explanation  from  Norton  as  to 
the  use  and  meaning  of  different  articles. 
Pitchers  and  tureens  and  forks  and  spoons  she 
could  understand;  but  what  could  possibly 
be  the  purpose  of  a  vast  round  vase,  with 
doves  sitting  opposite  each  other  on  the  lip  of 
it  ?  doves  with  frosted  wings,  most  beautiful 
to  behold. 

"  That  ?  "  said  Norton.  "  That's  a  punch 
bowl." 

"  A  punch  bowl!  And  how  much  would 
that  cost,  Norton  ?  " 

"  Do  you  want  it  ?  Too  much  for  your 
purse,  Pink.  That  is  marked  two  hundred 
and  fifty  dollars." 

"  For  a  punch  bowl !  "  said  Matilda. 
"  Yes,  why  not  ?  " 

But  Matilda  did  not  say  why  not.  What 
must  be  the  rest  of  the  dinner,  when  the  punch 
bowl  was  two  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  ? 

k'  And  here's  an  e*pergne,"  said  Norton. 
"  That  is  to  stand  in  the  centre  of  the  dinner 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  297 

table  —  for  ornament.  That's  seven  hundred 
and  fifty." 

"  What's  inside  of  the  punch  bowl,  Nor- 
ton ?  it  is  yellow." 

"  Gold,"  said  Norton.  "  It  is  lined  with 
gold  —  gold  washed,  that  is.  Gold  don't  tar- 
nish, you  know." 

They  went  on.  It  was  a  progress  of  won- 
ders, to  Matilda.  She  was  delighted  with 
some  wood  carvings.  Then  highly  amused 
with  a  show  of  seals  ;  Norton  wished  to  buy 
one,  and  it  took  him  some  time  to  be  suited. 
Then  Norton  made  her  notice  a  great  variety 
of  useful  articles  in  morocco  and  leather  and 

V 

wood ;  satchels  and  portemonnaies,  and  dress- 
ing boxes,  and  portfolios  and  card  cases ;  and 
chains  and  rings  and  watches.  Bronzes  and 
jewellery  held  them  finally  a  very  long  time. 
The  crowd  was  great  in  the  store ;  people 
were  passing  in  and  passing  out  constantly  ; 
the  little  boys  the  door-openers  were  busy 
opening  and  shutting  all  the  time.  At  last 
they  let  out  Matilda  and  Norton. 


298  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

«  Now,  Pink,"  said  the  latter,  well  pleased, 
"  do  you  know  what  you  want  ?  Have  you 
seen  anything  you  want  ?  " 

"  O  yes,  Norton ;  a  great  many  things ;  but 
it  is  all  confusion  in  my  head  till  I  think 
about  it  at  home." 

"  "We  have  got  other  places  to  go  to,"  said 
Norton.  "  Don't  decide  anything  till  you 
have  seen  more.  We  can't  go  anywhere  else 
to-day  though.  We've  got  to  go  home  to 
dinner." 

Matilda's  head  was  in  a  whirl  of  pleasure. 
For  amidst  so  many  beautiful  things  she  was 
sure  she  could  do  Christmas  work  charm- 
ingly ;  and  at  any  rate  it  was  delightful  only 
to  look  at  them.  She  tried  to  get  her 
thoughts  a  little  in  order.  For  Norton,  she 
would  make  the  watch  guard ;  that  was  one 
thing  fixed.  A  delicate  bronze  paperweight, 
a  beautiful  obelisk,  had  greatly  taken  her 
fancy,  and  Norton  had  been  describing  to  her 
the  use  of  its  originals  in  old  Egypt ;  it  was 
not  very  costly,  and  Matilda  thought  she 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 


299 


would  like  to  give  that  to  Mrs.  Laval.  But 
she  would  not  decide  till  she  saw  more ;  and 
for  her  sisters,  and  for  everybody  else  indeed, 
she  was  quite  uncertain  yet  what  to  choose. 
She  thought  about  it  so  hard  all  the  evening 
that  she  was  able  to  throw  off  the  gloom  of 
David  and  Judy's  darkened  looks. 

Next  day,  however,  she  had  too  much  time 
to  think.  It  was  Sunday.  Matilda  was  up 
in  good  time,  as  usual,  and  came  down  for 
breakfast;  but  there  was  no  breakfast  and 
nobody  to  eat  it,  till  the  clock  shewed  the 
half  hour  before  ten.  Bells  had  been  ringing 
long  ago  for  Sunday  school,  and  had  long 
ago  stopped.  Matilda  was  so  hungry,  that 
breakfast  when  it  came  made  some  amends 
for  other  losses  ;  but  then  it  was  church  time. 
And  to  her  dismay  she  found  that  nobody 
was  going  to  church.  The  long  morning  had 
to  be  spent  as  it  could,  with  reading  and 
thinking.  Matilda  persuaded  Norton  to  take 
her  to  church  in  the  afternoon,  that  she  might 
know  the  way. 


300  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

« It  don't  pay,  Pink,"  said  Norton  ;  "  how- 
ever, I'll  go  with  you,  and  you  can  see  for 
yourself." 

Matilda  went  and  saw.  A  rich,  splendid, 
luxuriously  furnished  church;  a  warm  close 
atmosphere  which  almost  put  her  to  sleep ; 
and  a  smooth-tongued  speaker  in  the  pulpit, 
every  one  of  whose  easy  going  sentences 
seemed  to  pull  her  eyelids  down.  Matilda 
struggled,  sat  upright,  pinched  her  fingers, 
looked  at  the  gay  colours  and  intricate  pat- 
terns of  a  painted  window  near  her,  and  after 
all  had  as  much  as  she  could  do  to  keep  from 
nodding.  She  was  very  glad  to  feel  the  fresh 
air  outside  again. 

"  Well,"  said  Norton.  « Do  you  feel 
better  ?  " 

«  Is  that  Dr.  Blandford  ?  " 

"  That  is  he.     A  jolly  parson,  ain't  he  ?  " 

"  The  church  was  so  warm,"  said  Matilda. 

"He  keeps  cool,"  said  Norton.  "That's 
one  thing  about  Dr.  Blandford.  "  You  always 
know  where  to  have  him." 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 


301 


"  I  wish  Mr.  Richmond  was  here,"  said 
Matilda. 

The  wish  must  have  been  strong ;  for  that 
very  evening,  when  she  went  to  her  room, 
earlier  than  usual  because  everybody  was 
ready  to  go  to  bed  Sunday  night,  she  wrote 
a  letter  to  her  minister  at  Shady  walk. 

"BLESSINGTON  AVENUE,  Dec.  6,  18  — 

"DEAR  MR.  RICHMOND,  —  I  am  here,  you 
see,  and  I  am  very  happy ;  but  I  am  very 
much  troubled  about  some  things.  Every- 
thing is  very  different  from  what  it  was  at 
Shadywalk,  and  it  is  very  difficult  to  know 
what  is  right  to  do.  So  I  think  I  had  better 
ask  you.  Only  there  are  so  many  things  I 
want  to  ask  about,  that  I  am  afraid  my  let- 
ter will  be  too  long.  Sometimes  I  do  not 
know  whether  the  trouble  is  in  myself  or  in 
the  things ;  I  think  it  is  extremely  difficult  to 
tell.  Perhaps  you  will  know  ;  and  I  will  try 
to  explain  what  I  mean  as  clearly  as  I 
can. 


302  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

"  One  thing  that  puzzles  me  is  this.  Is  it 
wrong  to  wish  to  be  fashionable?  and  how 
can  one  tell  just  how  much  it  is  wrong,  or 
right.  Mrs.  Laval  is  having  some  beautiful 
clothes  made  for  me ;  ever  so  many ;  silks 
and  other  dresses;  they  will  be  made  and 
trimmed  as  fashionable  people  have  them ; 
and  I  cannot  help  liking  to  have  them  so.  I 
am  afraid,  perhaps,  I  like  it  too  much.  But 
how  can  I  tell,  Mr.  Richmond?  There  is 
another  little  girl  in  the  house  here,  Mrs. 
Laval's  niece ;  about  as  old  as  I  am,  or  not 
much  older  ;  and  she  has  all  her  things  made 
in  these  beautiful  ways.  Is  it  wrong  for  me 
to  wish  to  have  mine  as  handsome  as  hers  ? 
because  I  do ;  and  one  reason  why  I  am  so 
glad  of  mine  is,  that  I  shall  be  as  fashionable 
as  she  is.  She  calls  people  who  are  not  fash- 
ionable, '  country  people.' 

"  There  is  another  thing.  Having  things 
made  in  this  way  costs  a  great  deal  of  money. 
I  don't  know  about  that.  The  other  day  I 
paid  two  dollars  more  than  I  need,  just  to 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  303 

have  the  toes  of  my  boots  right.  You  would 
not  understand  that;  but  the  fashion  is  to 
have  them  narrow  and  rounded,  and  last 
year  they  were  square  and  wide.  And  it 
is  so  of  other  things.  I  buy  my  own  boots 
and  gloves ;  and  I  could  save  a  good  deal  if 
I  would  buy  the  shapes  and  colours  that  are 
not  fashionable.  What  ought  I  to  do  ?  and 
how  can  I  tell  ?  It  troubles  me  very  much. 

"  I  think  that  is  the  most'  of  what  troubles 
me,  that  and  spending  my  money ;  but  that 
is  part  of  it.  I  don't  want  to  be  unlike  other 
people.  Is  that  wrong,  or  is  it  pride?  I 
didn't  know  but  it  was  pride,  partly ;  and 
then  I  thought  I  would  ask  you. 

"  Another  thing  is,  ought  I  to  speak  to 
people  about  what  they  do  that  is  not  right? 
I  don't  mean  grown  up  people,  of  course  ; 
but  the  boys  and  Judy.  I  don't  like  to  do  it ; 
but  yet  I  thought  I  must,  as  I  had  promised 
to  do  all  I  could  in  the  cause  of  temperance ; 
and  I  did,  and  some  of  them  were  very  much 
offended.  They  drink  wine  a  great  deal 


304  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

here,  and  I  did  not  like  to  see  Norton  do  it. 
So  I  spoke,  and  I  don't  think  it  did  any 
good. 

"  My  letter  is  getting  very  long,  but  there 
is  one  other  thing  I  want  to  ask  about.  There 
are  a  great  many  poor  children  in  the  streets ; 
boys  and  girls ;  so  dirty  that  you  cannot 
imagine  it ;  they  sweep  the  street  crossings. 
What  can  I  do  for  them?  Ought  I  not  to 
give  pennies  always  ?  all  I  can  ? 

"  I  believe  that  is  all.  O  and  I  wish  you 
could  tell  me  what  to  do  Sundays.  The 
people  here  do  not  care  about  going  to 
church;  and  I  have  been  once  and  I  don't 
wonder.  I  could  hardly  keep  my  eyes  open. 
I  miss  the  Sunday  school  and  you  very  much. 
I  wish  I  could  see  you.  Give  my  love  to  Miss 
Redwood.  Your  affectionate 

"  MATILDA  ENGLEFIELD. 

"  It  will  be  Matilda  Laval  after  this,  but  I 
thought  I  would  sign  my  own  old  name  once 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 


305 


This  letter  was  duly  posted  the  next  day. 
And  almost  as  soon  as  the  mails  up  and 
down  made  it  possible,  Matilda  received  her 
answer. 

"  SHADYWALK  PARSONAGE,  Dec.  8,  18 — . 

"  MY  DEAR  LITTLE  TILLY,  —  I  appreciate  your 
difficulties  to  the  full.  They  are  difficulties, 
enough  to  puzzle  an  older  head  than  yours. 
Yet  I  think  there  is  a  simple  way  out  of 
them,  not  through  your  head  however  so  much 
as  your  heart.  Keep  that  right,  and  I  think 
we  can  get  at  the  answer  to  your  questions. 

"  The  answer  to  them  all  is,  Live  by  your 
motto.  '  Whatsoever  ye  do,  in  word  or  deed, 
do  all  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus.'  Try 
everything  by  this  rule.  In  spending  your 
money,  in  deciding  between  boot-tips  and 
dollars,  in  the  question  of  reproving  wrong  in 
others,  in  the  matter  of  kindness  to  the 
street-sweepers,  put  your  motto  before  you ; 
and  ask  yourself,  how  would  the  Lord  Jesus 
do  if  he  were  here  in  person  and  had  the 
same  point  to  decide?  The  answer  to  that 
20 


306  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

will  tell  you  how,  doing  in  his  name,  you 
ought  to  act  yourself.  Pray  for  direction  ; 
and  whether  you  dress  or  speak  or  spend 
money,  take  care  that  it  is  Christ  you  are 
trying  to  plea.se  —  not  yourself,  nor  yet  Miss 
Judy;  but  indeed  let  it  be  your  best  pleasure 
to  please  Him. 

"  Now  as  to  your  Sundays.  If  your  peo- 
ple do  not  go  to  church  regularly,  you  can 
probably  do  what  you  like  on  Sunday  after- 
noons. Go  up  your  avenue  two  blocks,  turn 
down  then  to  your  right  for  two  blocks  more, 
and  you  will  come  to  a  plain  looking  brick 
building,  not  exactly  like  a  church,  nor  like  a 
common  house.  There  is  Mr.  Rush's  Sunday 
school.  Go  in  there,  and  you  will  find  work 
and  pleasure.  And  then  write  again  to 
"  Your  very  affectionate  friend, 

"F.  RICHMOND." 

It  would  be  hazardous  to  say  how  many 
times  Matilda  read  this  letter.  I  am  afraid 
some  tears  were  shed  over  it.  For  to  tell 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  307 

truth,  difficulties  rather  thickened  upon  the 
little  girl  this  week.  In  the  first  place,  Nor- 
ton was  away  at  school  almost  all  day. 
David  and  he  came  home  to  luncheon, 
which  now  became  the  dinner  time  of  the 
young  ones  ;  but  even  so,  he  was  full  of  his 
studies  and  his  mates,  and  his  new  skates, 
and  the  merits  of  different  styles  of  those 
instruments,  and  Matilda  could  hardly  get 
anything  out  of  him.  David  talked  little ; 
but  he  was  always  more  self-absorbed.  And 
with  Judy,  this  week,  Matilda  had  nothing  to 
do.  That  young  lady  ignored  her.  Matilda 
went  out  shopping  a  good  deal  with  Mrs. 
Laval ;  that  was  her  best  resource.  The 
shops  were  an  unfailing  amusement  and  oc- 
cupation ;  for  everywhere  she  had  her  Christ- 
mas work  to  think  of,  and  everywhere  accord- 
ingly she  kept  her  eyes  open  and  studied 
what  was  before  her ;  weighed  the  merits 
and  noted  the  prices  even  of  stuffs  and  rib- 
bands ;  and  left  nothing  unexamined  that  eyes 
could  examine  in  the  fancy  stores.  And 


308  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

when  she  got  home,  Matilda  went  to  her 
room  and  made  notes  of  the  things  she  had 
seen  and  liked  that  she  thought  might  be 
good  for  a  present  to  one  or  another  of  the 
friends  she  had  to  reckon  for.  The  obelisk 
held  its  place  in  her  favour  for  Mrs.  Laval ; 
but  with  respect  to  the  other  people  a  crowd 
of  images  filled  her  imagination.  Japanese 
paperweights,  and  little  tea-pots  ;  so  pretty, 
Matilda  thought  she  must  buy  one ;"  ivory 
and  Scotch  plaid  and  carved  wood  paper 
knives,  and  one  with  a  deer's  foot  handle. 
Little  Shaker  work-baskets,  elegantly  fitted 
up ;  scent-bottles ;  a  carved  wood  letter- 
holder  at  Goupil's;  a  bronze  standish  repre- 
senting a  country  well  with  pole  and  bucket. 
At  Goupil's,  where  Mrs.  Laval  had  business 
to  attend  to,  Matilda's  happy  eyes  were  full 
of  treasure.  She  wandered  round  the  room 
gazing  at  the  pictures,  in  a  dream  of  delight ; 
finding  soon  some  special  favourites  which 
she  was  sure  to  revisit  with  fresh  interest 
every  time  she  had  a  chance ;  and  Mrs.  Laval 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 


309 


took  her  there  several  times.  Once  Mrs. 
Laval,  having  finished  what  she  came  to  do, 
was  at  a  loss  where  to  find  Matilda ;  and  only 
after  going  half  round  the  long  gallery,  dis- 
covered her,  wrapt  in  contemplation,  standing 
before  a  large  engraving  which  hung  high 
above  her  on  the  wall.  Matilda's  head  was 
thrown  back,  gazing ;  her  two  little  hands 
were  carelessly  crossed  at  her  back  ;  she  was  a 
sort  of  picture  herself.  Mrs.  Laval  came  up 
softly. 

"  What  are  you  looking  at,  my  darling  ?  " 

Matilda  started.  "  Have  you  got  through, 
mamma  ?  did  you  want  me  ?  " 

"  I  have  got  through ;  but  I  do  not  want 
you  unless  you  are  ready.  What  have  you 
found  that  pleases  you  ?  " 

"  Look,  mamma.  That  one  —  the  woman 
holding  a  lamp  —  don't  you  see  ?  " 

It  was  Holman  Hunt's  figure  of  the  woman 
searching  for  the  lost  piece  of  money. 

"  What  is  it  ?  "    said  Mrs.  Laval. 

u  Don't  you  remember,  mamma  ?  the  story 


310  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

of  the  woman  who  had  ten  pieces  of  silver 
and  lost  one  of  them?  how  she  swept  the 
house,  and  looked  until  she  found  it  ?  " 

"  If  I  had  nine  left,  I  should  not  take  so 
much  trouble,"  said  Mrs.  Laval. 

"  Ah,  but,  mamma,  you  know  the  Lord 
Jesus  does  not  think  so." 

"  The  Lord!  What  are  you  talking  of,  rny 
child?" 

"  O  you  do  not  remember,  mamma !  It  is 
a  parable.  The  Lord  Jesus  means  us  to 
know  how  JIG  cares  for  the  lost  ones." 

Mrs.  Laval  looked  from  Matilda  to  the 
picture  and  back  again. 

"  Do  you  like  it  so  very  much  ?  "  she  said. 

"  O  I  do,  mamma !  it's  beautiful.  What 
an  odd  lamp  she  has." 

"  That  is  the  shape  lamps  used  to  be,"  said 
Mrs.  Laval.  "  Not  so  good  as  ours." 

«  Prettier,"  said  Matilda.  «  And  it  seems 
to  give  a  good  light.  No,  it  don't,  though  ; 
it  shines  only  on  a  little  place.  But  it's 
pretty." 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN,  311 

"  You  do  love  pretty  things,"  said  Mrs. 
Laval  laughing.  "  We  will  come  and  look 
at  it  again." 

Matilda,  it  shewed  how  enterprising  she 
was  getting  to  be,  had  already  privately  in- 
quired the  price  of  the  picture.  It  was  fifteen 
dollars  without  a  frame.  Far  up  over  her 
little  head  indeed.  She  drew  a  long  breath, 
and  came  away. 

The  latter  part  of  the  week  another  engross- 
ment appeared,  in  the  shape  of  her  new 
dresses  from  Mme.  Fournissons.  Mrs.  Laval 
tried  them  all  on  ;  and  Matilda's  head  had 
almost  more  than  it  could  stand.  So  many, 
so  handsome,  so  elegantly  made  and  trimmed, 
so  very  becoming  they  were ;  it  was  like  a 
fairy  tale.  To  these  dresses  Mrs.  Laval  had 
been  all  the  week  adding  riches  of  under- 
clothing ;  a  supply  so  abundant  that  Matilda 
had  never  dreamed  of  the  like,  and  so  elegant 
and  fine  in  material  and  make  as  she  had 
never  until  then  even  seen.  Now  Matilda 
had  a  natural  liking  for  extreme  neatness  and 


312  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

particularity  in  all  that  concerned  her  little 
person  ;  and  to  have  such  plenty  of  things  to 
wear,  so  nice  of  their  kind,  and  full  liberty  to 
put  them  on  clean  and  fresh  as  often  as  she 
pleased,  fulfilled  her  utmost  notions  of  what 
was  desirable.  Her  mental  confusion  arose 
from  the  articles  furnished  by  Mme.  Fournis- 
sons.  The  lustre  of  the  silk,  the  colour  of  the 
blue,  the  richness  of  the  green,  the  ruffles,  the 
costly  buttons,  the  tasteful  trimmings,  the 
stylish  make,  all  raised  a  whirl  in  Matilda's 
mind.  She  was  a  little  intoxicated.  Nobody 
saw  it ;  she  was  very  demure  about  it  all ; 
made  no  show  of  what  she  felt ;  all  the  same 
she  felt  it.  She  could  not  help  a  deep  satis- 
faction at  being  dressed  to  the  full  as  well  as 
Judy ;  a  feeling  that  was  not  lessened  by  a 
certain  sense  that  the  satisfaction  was  on  her 
part  alone.  Of  the  two,  that  is.  Mrs.  Laval 
openly  expressed  hers.  Mrs.  Lloyd  nodded  her 
dignified  head  and  remarked,  "  That  child 
will  do  you  no  discredit,  Zara."  Mrs.  Bar- 
tholomew looked  at  her,  which  was  much ; 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  313 

and  Norton  declared  that  from  a  pink  she  had 
bloomed  out  into  a  carnation.  All  these 
things  Matilda  felt ;  and  unconsciously  in  all 
that  concerned  dress  and  equipment  she  be- 
gan to  set  a  new  standard  for  herself.  One 
thing  must  match  with  another.  "  Of  course, 
I  must  have  round-toed  boots,"  she  said  to 
herself  now.  She  began  to  doubt  whether 
she  must  not  get  at  least  one  pair  of  gloves 
more  elegant  than  any  she  found  at  Shady- 
walk,  to  go  with  her  silk  dresses  and  her  new 
coat.  She  hesitated  still,  for  the  price  was  a 
dollar  and  a  quarter. 

Upon  all  this  came  Mr.  Richmond's  letter; 
and  Matilda  found  it  did  not  exactly  fit  her 
mood  of  mind.  She  was  confused  already, 
and  this  made  the  confusion  worse.  Then 
Saturday  came ;  and  Norton  was  free ;  and 
he  and  Matilda  made  another  round  of  shop- 
going.  The  matter  was  growing  imminent 
now ;  Christmas  would  be  in  a  fortnight. 
But  the  difficulty  of  deciding  upon  the  choice 
of  presents  seemed  as  great  as  ever.  Seeing 


314  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

more  things  to  choose  from,  only  increased 
the  difficulty.  They  went  this  morning  to 
Stewart's,  to  find  out  what  might  be  dis- 
played upon  the  variety  counter ;  they  went 
to  a  place  where  Swiss  carvings  were  shewn ; 
finally  they  went  to  Anthony's ;  and  they 
could  not  get  away  from  this  last  place. 

"  It's  long  past  one  o'clock,  Pink,"  said 
Norton  as  they  were  going  down  the  stairs. 

"What  shall  we  do,  Norton?  I'm  very 
hungry." 

"  So  am  I.  One  can  always  do  something 
in  New  York.  We'll  go  and  have  dinner." 

"  At  home  ?  " 

"  No  indeed.  Short  of  home.  We'll  jump 
into  an  omnibus  and  be  at  the  place  in  a 
minute." 

It  did  not  seem  much  more,  and  they  went 
into  a  restaurant  and  took  their  places  at  a 
little  marble  table,  and  Norton  ordered  what 
they  both  liked ;  oyster  pie  and  coffee. 

"  But  mamma  does  not  like  me  to  drink 
coffee,"  said  Matilda  suddenly. 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  315 

"  No  harm,  just  for  once,"  said  Norton. 
"  She  would  let  you,  if  she  was  here,  I  know." 

"  But  she  isn't  here,  and  I  don't  like  to  do 
it,  Norton." 

"  I  have  ordered  it.  You'll  have  to  take 
it,"  said  Norton.  "  Judy  takes  it  every  night, 
and  her  mother  does  not  wish  her  to  have 
any." 

"  What  then  ?  "  said  Matilda. 

"  Nothing ;  only  that  you  two  are  not 
much  alike." 

"  David  don't  look  at  me  any  more,  since 
last  week,"  said  Matilda.  "  Do  you  suppose 
he  never  will  again  ?  " 

"  No  hurt  if  he  don't,"  said  Norton.  "  He 
has  my  leave.  Well,  Pink,  what  are  you 
going  to  get  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know  a  bit,  Norton  —  except  one 
or  two  things.  I  am  certain  of  nothing  else 
but  just  one  or  two." 

"  I  am  going  to  get  that  ring  for  mamma  ; 
that's  fixed.  The  one  with  that  pale  mala- 
chite. Grandmamma  is  disposed  of.  Then 


316  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

for  aunt  Judy  a  box  of  French  bon-bons.  I 
think  I'll  give  Davy  a  standish  —  I  haven't 
picked  it  out  yet ;  but  I  don't  know  about 
Judy.  It's  hard  to  please  her,  I  never  did  but 
once." 

"  Then  I  shall  not,"  said  Matilda. 

"  And  it  doesn't  matter,  either.  Here's 
your  coffee,  Pink ;  and  here's  mine."  . 

But  after  a  little  struggle  with  herself,  Ma- 
tilda pushed  her  cup  as  far  away  as  she  could, 
and  drew  the  glass  of  ice-water  up  to  her 
plate  instead.  The  dinner  was  good  enough, 
even  so ;  and  Norton  called  for  ice-cream  and 
fruit  afterward.  And  all  the  time  they  con- 
sulted over  their  Christmas  work,  which  made 
it  wonderfully  relishing.  It  was  curious  to 
see  how  other  people  too  were  evidently 
thinking  of  Christmas.  Here  there  was  a 
brown  paper  parcel ;  there  somebody  had  an 
armful ;  crowds  came  to  get  their  luncheon  or 
dinner,  as  Norton  and  Matilda  were  doing; 
stowed  their  packages  on  the  chair  or  sofa 
beside  them  and  refitted  themselves  for  more 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 


317 


shop-going.  All  sorts  of  people,  —  and  all 
sorts  of  lunches  !  Some  had  soup  and  steak 
and  tartlets;  some  had  coffee  and  muffins; 
some  had  oysters  and  ale  ;  some  took  cups  of 
tea  and  an  omelet.  It  was  as  good  to  see 
what  was  going  on,  as  to  take  her  own  part 
in  it,  almost,  to  Matilda;  and  yet  her  own 
part  was  very  satisfactory.  They  went  home 
only  to  order  the  horses  and  go  to  drive  in 
the  Park  ;  Norton  and  she  alone.  It  was  a 
long  afternoon  of  enchantment.  The  place, 
and  the  people,  and  the  horses  and  the  equi- 
pages ;  and  the  strange  animals;  and  the  lake 
and  its  boats ;  everything  was  a  delight,  and 
Norton  had  as  much  pleasure  as  he  expected 
in  seeing  Matilda's  enjoyment  and  answering 
her  questions. 

"  Norton,"  said  the  little  girl  at  length,  "I 
don't  believe  anybody  here  is  having  such  a 
good  time  as  we  are." 

"  Why  ?  "  said  Norton. 

«  They  don't  look  so." 

"  You  can't  tell  about  people  from  their 
looks." 


318  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

"  Can't  you  ?  But  I  am  sure  you  can, 
Norton,  partly.  People  don't  look  stupid 
when  they  feel  bright,  do  they?" 

Norton  laughed  a  good  deal  at  this.  "  But 
then,  Pink,"  he  remarked,  "  you  must  remem- 
ber people  are  used  to  it.  You  have  never 
seen  it  before,  you  know,  and  it's  all  fresh 
and  new.  It's  an  old  story  to  them." 

"  Does  everything  grow  to  be  an  old 
story  ? "  said  Matilda  rather  thoughtfully. 

"  I  suppose  so,"  said  Norton.  "  That 
makes  people  always  hunting  up  new 
things." 

Matilda  wondered  silently  whether  it  was 
indeed  so  with  everything.  Would  her  new 
dresses  come  to  be  an  old  story  too,  and  she 
lose  her  pleasure  in  them  ?  Could  the  Park  ? 
could  the  flowers  ? 

"  Norton,"  she  broke  out,  "  there  are  some 
things  that  never  grow  to  be  an  old  story. 
Flowers  don't." 

"  Flowers  —  no,  they  don't,"  said  Norton ; 
"that's  a  fact.  But  then,  they're  always 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 


319 


new,  Pink.  They  don't  last.  They  are 
always  coming  up  new ;  that's  the  beauty  of 
them." 

"  I  do  not  think  that  is  the  beauty  of 
them,"  Matilda  answered  slowly. 

"Well,  you'd  get  tired  of  them  if  they 
didn't,"  said  Norton. 

"  Do  people  get  tired  of  coming  here  ? " 
Matilda  asked  again,  as  her  eye  roved  over 
the  gay  procession  of  carriages  which  just 
then  they  could  trace  along  several  turns  in 
the  road  before  them. 

"  I  suppose  so,"  said  Norton.  "  Why 
not?" 

"  I  do  not  see  how  they  ever  could.  Why 
it's  beautiful,  Norton!  And  the  air  is  so 
sweet." 

"  I  never  know  how  the  air  is." 

"  Don't  you !  But  then  you  lose  a  great 
deal  that  I  don't  lose.  I  am  smelling  it  all 
the  while.  Are  there  any  flowers  here  in 
summer  time?" 

«  Lots." 


320 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 


"  It  must  be  lovely  then.  Norton,  it  must 
be  nice  to  come  here  and  walk." 

"Walking  is  stupid,"  said  Norton.  "I 
can't  see  any  use  in  walking,  except  to  get  to 
a  place." 

"  Norton,  do  you  see  a  boy  yonder,  coming 
towards  us,  on  a  black  pony?" 

« I  see  him." 

"  It  looks  so  like  David  Bartholomew." 

"  You'll  see  why,  in  another  minute.  It's 
himself." 

"  I  didn't  know  he  rode  in  the  Park  too," 
said  Matilda,  as  David  passed  them  with  a 
bow. 

"  Everybody  rides  in  the  Park  —  or  drives." 

"  That  is  what  we  are  doing  ?  " 

'<  Exactly." 

"  I  should  think  it  was  pleasant  to  ride  on 
horseback." 

«  This  is  better,"  said  Norton. 

"  I  wonder  whether  David  will  ever  look 
pleasant  at  me  again." 

"It  don't   signify,  so   far  as  I  see,"  said 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  321 

Norton.  "  David  Bartholomew  has  his  own 
way  of  looking  at  every  thing ;  the  Park  and 
all.  He  likes  to  take  that  all  alone  by  him- 
self, and  so  he  does  other  things.  He  paddles 
his  own  canoe  at  school,  in  class  and  out  of 
class ;  he  don't  want  help  and  he  don't  give  it." 

"  Don't  he  play  either,  in  any  of  your 
school  games  ?  " 

"  Yes  —  sometimes ;  but  he  keeps  himself 
to  himself  through  it  all." 

"  Norton,  do  the  other  boys  dislike  him 
because  he  is  a  Jew  ?  " 

"  No ! "  said  Norton  vehemently.  "  He 
dislikes  them  because  they  are  not  Jews ;  that 
is  a  nearer  account  of  the  matter.  Pink,  you 
and  I  are  going  to  have  lessons  together." 

"  Does  mamma  say  so  ?  " 

"  Yes ;  at  last ;  because  if  you  went  to 
school  you  would  be  broken  off  half  way 
when  we  go  home  to  Shadywalk.  So  mamma 
says  we  may  try,  and  if  I  teach  well  and  you 
learn  well,  she  will  let  it  stand  so.  How  do 
you  like  it  ?  " 

21 


322  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

"  O  very  much,  Norton !  But  when  will 
you  have  time  ?  " 

"  I'll  find  the  time.  Now  Pink,  how  much 
do  you  know  ?  " 

"  O  Norton,  you  know  I  don't  know  any 
thing." 

«  That's  all  in  the  air,"  said  Norton.  «  You 
can  read,  I  suppose,  and  write?" 

"  Yes,  I  can  read  and  write.  But  then  I 
haven't  been  to  school  in  ever  so  long." 

"  Never  mind  that.  If  we  go  nine  miles 
an  hour,  how  far  shall  we  have  gone  if  we 
are  out  three  hours  and  a  half  ?  " 

Matilda  answered  this  and  several  more 
puzzling  questions  with  pretty  prompt  cor- 
rectness. 

"  You'll  do,"  said  Norton.  "  I  knew  you 
were  sharp.  You  can  always  tell  whether  a 
person  has  a  head,  by  the  way  he  takes  hold 
of  numbers."  A  partial  judgment,  perhaps ; 
for  Norton  himself  was  very  quick  at  them. 

"  Can  you  read  any  thing  except  English, 
Pink  ?  "  he  went  on. 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 


323 


"  No,  Norton." 

"  Never  tried  ?  " 

"  No,  Norton.  How  could  I  try  without 
being  taught?  " 

"Of  course,"  said  Norton.  "There's  a 
jolly  dog  cart  —  isn't  it?  Mamma  wants 
you  to  read  a  lot  of  things  besides  English,  I 
can  tell  you." 

"  How  many  can  you  read,  Norton  ?  " 

"  Latin,  and  Greek,  and  German,  and 
French,  I  am  boring  at  now." 

"  Don't  you  like  it  ?     Is  it  boring  ?  " 

"I  like  figures  better.  David  is  great  on 
languages.  Well,  Pink,  you  shan't  have  'em 
all  at  once.  Now  I  want  to  ask  you  another 
question.  What  do  you  think  was  the 
greatest  battle  that  was  ever  fought  in  the 
world?" 

"Battle?  O  I  don't  know  any  thing 
about  battles,  Norton." 

"  Well,  who  was  the  greatest  hero,  then ; 
the  greatest  man  ?  " 

Matilda  pondered,  and  Norton  watched  her 


324  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

slyly  in  the  intervals  of  attending  to  his 
ponies. 

"  I  think,  Norton,  the  greatest  man  I  ever 
heard  about,  was  Moses." 

Norton's  face  quivered  with  amusement, 
but  he  kept  it  a  little  turned  away  from 
Matilda  and  asked  why  she  thought  so  ? 

"  I  never  heard  of  anybody  who  did  such 
great  things ;  nor  who  had  such  great  things  ?  " 

"Had?  What  did  he  have?"  said  Nor- 
ton. "  I  never  knew  he  had  any  thing  par- 
ticular." 

"  Don't  you  remember  ?  the  Lord  spoke 
with  him  face  to  face,  as  we  speak  to  each 
other ;  and  once  he  had  a  sight  of  that  won- 
derful glory.  It  must  have  been  something 
so  wonderful,  Norton,  for  it  made  Moses' 
face  itself  shine  with  light." 

«  That's  a  figure  of  speech,  Pink." 

«  What  is  a  figure  of  speech  ?  " 

"  I  mean,  that  isn't  to  be  taken  for  real  and 
earnest,  you  know." 

"  Yes  it  is,   Norton,  for  the  people  were 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  325 

frightened  when  they  saw  him,  and  ran 
away." 

"Pink,  Pink,  Pink!"  exclaimed  Norton, 
and  stopped. 

"What?"  said  Matilda. 

"  Nothing.  And  so  Moses  is  your  great- 
est man !  That  is  all  you  know ! " 

"  Why,  who  do  you  know  that  is  greater  ?  " 
said  Matilda. 

"You  never  read  any  history  but  the 
Bible?" 

"  Not  much.  Who  do  you  know  that  is 
greater,  Norton  ?  " 

"  Whom  do  I  know.  Well,  Pink,  if  I  were 
to  tell  you,  you  wouldn't  understand,  till  you 
have  read  about  them.  Why  you  have  got 
all  to  read  about  I  guess  you'll  have  to 
begin  back  with  Romulus  and  Remus." 

«  How  far  back  were  they  ?  " 

"  How  far  back  ?  Ages ;  almost  before  his- 
tory." 

"  Before  Moses  ?  " 

"  Before   Moses !     No,   I   suppose   not.     I 


326  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

declare  I  don't  know  when  that  old  fellow 
was  about." 

"  But  there  is  history  before  Moses,  Nor- 
ton ?  " 

"  Not  Roman  history,"  said  Norton ;  "  and 
that  is  what  we  are  talking  about." 

«  Were  they  great,  Norton  ?  " 

«  Who  ?  " 

"  Those  two  men  you  spoke  of." 

"  Romulus  and  Remus  ?  O !  —  Well,  Romu- 
lus founded  Rome." 

"  And  when  was  that  ?  " 

"Well,  I  don't  know,  that's  a  fact.  I 
believe,  somewhere  about  eight  or  nine  cen- 
turies before  our  era." 

"  I  would  like  to  read  about  it,"  said  Ma- 
tilda meekly. 

"  And  you  shall,"  said  Norton,  firing  up ; 
"  and  there's  Grecian  history  too,  Pink ;  and 
French  and  English  history ;  and  German." 

"  And  American  history  too  ? "  ventured 
Matilda. 

"  Well,   yes ;   but  you   see   we   haven't  a 


THE  HOUSE  PN  TOWN. 


327 


great  deal  of  history  yet,  Pink ;  because  we 
are  a  young  people." 

"  A  young  people  ?  "  said  Matilda,  puzzled. 
"  What  do  you  mean  by  that  ?  " 

"  Why  yes ;  it  was  only  in  1776  that  we 
set  up  for  ourselves." 

"  Seventeen  seventy  six,"  repeated  Matilda. 
"  And  now  it  is  eighteen  "  — 

"  Near  a  hundred  years ;  that  is  all." 

Matilda  pondered  a  little. 

"  Where  must  I  begin,  Norton  ?  " 

"  O  with  Romulus  and  Remus,  I  guess. 
And  then  there's  grammar,  Pink ;  did  you 
ever  study  grammar  ?  " 

"  A  little.     I  didn't  like  it" 

"  No,  and  I  don't  like  it ;  but  you  have  to 
learn  it, for  all  that.  And  geography,  Pink?  " 

"  O  I  was  drawing  maps,  Norton  ;  but  then 
I  had  to  come  away  from  school,  and  I  was 
busy  at  aunt  Candy's,  and  I  have  forgot 
nearly  all  I  knew,  I  am  afraid." 

"  Never  mind,"  said  Norton  delightedly ; 
"  we'll  find  it  again,  and  a  great  deal  more. 


328  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

I'll  get  you  some  nice  sheets  of  paper  for 
your  maps,  and  a  box  of  colours ;  so  that  you 
can  make  a  pretty  affair  of  them.  I  declare ! 
I  don't  know  whether  we  can  begin,  though, 
before  Christmas." 

"  O  yes,  Norton.  I  have  more  time  than  I 
know  what  to  do  with.  I  would  like  to  begin 
about  Romus  "  — 

"  Romulus.  Yes,  you  shall.  And  now,  if 
we  turn  round  here  we  shall  not  have  too 
much  time  to  get  home,  I'm  thinking." 


CHAPTER     X. 

Ty/TATILDA  hardly  knew  whether  to  wel- 
come Sunday.  Her  mind  was  in  such 
a  whirl,  she  was  half  afraid  to  have  leisure  to 
think.  There  was  little  chance  however  for 
that  in  the  morning ;  late  breakfast  and  dress- 
ing disposed  of  the  time  nicely.  The  whole 
family  went  to  church  to-day,  David  alone 
excepted  ;  and  Matilda  was  divided  between 
delight  in  her  new  cloak  and  rich  dress,  and  a 
certain  troubled  feeling  that  all  the  sweetness 
which  used  to  belong  to  her  Sundays  in  church 
at  Shadywalk  was  here  missing.  Nothing  in 
the  service  gave  her  any  help.  Her  dress,  to 
be  sure,  was  merged  in  a  crowd  of  just  such 
dresses ;  silks  and  laces  and  velvets  and 
feathers  and  bright  colours  were  on  every 
side  of  her  •  and  other  brilliant  colours 


330  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

streamed  down  from  the  painted  windows  of 
the  church.  They  were  altogether  distract- 
ing. It  was  impossible  not  to  notice  the  dash 
of  golden  light  which  lay  across  her  own 
green  silk  dress  and  glorified  it,  so  far;  or  to 
help  watching  the  effect  of  a  stream  of  crim- 
son rays  on  Judy's  blue.  What  a  purple  it 
made!  The  colouring  was  not  any  more 
splendid  or  delicious  indeed  than  one  may 
see  in  a  summer  sunset  sky  many  a  day ; 
but  somehow  the  effect  on  the  feelings  was 
different.  And  when  Matilda  looked  up 
again  at  the  minister  and  tried  to  get  at  the 
thread  of  what  he  was  saying,  she  found  she 
had  lost  the  connection ;  and  began  instead 
to  marvel  how  he  would  look,  if  the  streak  of 
blue  which  bathed  his  forehead  were  to  fall 
a  little  lower  and  lie  across  his  mouth  and 
chin.  Altogether,  when  the  service  was 
ended  and  the  party  walked  home,  Matilda 
did  not  feel  as  if  she  had  got  any  good  or 
refreshment  out  of  Sunday  yet;  more  than 
out  of  a  kaleidoscope. 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  331 

"  I'll  go  to  Mr.  Rush's  Sunday  school  this 
afternoon  "  —  she  determined,  as  she  was 
laying  off  her  cloak. 

There  was  no  hindrance  to  this  determin- 
ation ;  but  as  Matilda  crossed  the  lower  hall, 
ready  to  go  out,  she  was  met  by  Norton. 

"  Hollo,"  said  he.     «  What's  up  now  ?  " 

"  Nothing  is  up,  Norton." 

"  Where  are  you  going  ?  " 

So  Matilda  told  him. 

"Nothing  else'll  do,  hey,"  said  Norton. 
«  Well,  —  hold  on,  till  I  get  into  my  coat." 

"  Why,  are  you  going  ?  " 

"Looks  like  it,"  said  Norton.  "Why 
Pink,  you  are  not  fit  to  be  trusted  in  New 
York  streets  alone." 

"  I  know  where  to  go,  Norton.  But  I  am 
very  glad  you  will  go  too." 

"  To  take  care  of  you,"  said  Norton.  "Why 
Pink,  New  York  is  a  big  trap ;  and  you 
would  find  yourself  at  the  wrong  end  of  a 
puzzle  before  you  knew  it." 

"  I  have  only  got  two  blocks  more  to  go, 


332  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

Norton.  I  could  hardly  be  puzzled.  Here, 
we  turn  down  here." 

It  was  no  church,  nor  near  a  church,  the 
building  before  which  the  two  paused.  They 
went  up  a  few  steps  and  entered  a  little  hare 
vestibule.  The  doors  giving  further  entrance 
were  closed  ;  a  boy  stood  there  as  if  to  guard 
them ;  and  a  placard  with  a  few  words  on  it 
was  hung  up  on  one  of  them.  The  words 
were  these  — 

"  And  ike,  door  was  shut" 

"  What  sort  of  a  place  is  this  ? "  said 
Norton. 

"  This  is  the  Sunday  school,"  said  Matilda. 
"  They  are  singing ;  don't  you  hear  them  ? 
We  are  late." 

"  It  seems  a  queer  Sunday  school,"  said 
Norton.  "  Don't  they  let  folks  in  here  ?  " 

"  In  ten  minutes  "  —  said  the  boy  who 
stood  by  the  door. 

«  Ten  minutes !  "  echoed  Norton.  "  It's 
quite  an  idea,  to  shut  the  door  in  people's 
faces  and  then  hang  out  a  sign  to  tell  them 
it  is  shut! " 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 


333 


"  O  no,  Norton ;  —  that  door  isn't  this 
door." 

"  That  isn't  this  ?  "  said  Norton.  «  What 
do  you  mean,  Pink  ?  Of  course  I  know  so 
much ;  but  it  seems  to  me  this  is  this." 

"  No,  Norton  ;  it  means  the  door  spoken  of 
in  the  Bible  —  in  the  New  Testament;  — 
don't  you  know?  don't  you  remember?" 

"  Not  a  bit,"  said  Norton.  "  I  can't  say, 
Pink,  but  it  seems  to  me  this  is  not  just 
exactly  the  place  for  you  to  come  to  Sunday 
school.  Don't  look  like  it." 

"  Mr.  Richmond  told  me  to  come  here,  you 
know,  Norton." 

But  Norton  looked  with  a  disapproving 
eye  upon  what  he  could  see  of  the  neighbour- 
hood ;  and  it  is  true  that  nobody  would  have 
guessed  it  was  near  such  a  region  as  Bless- 
ington  avenue.  The  houses  were  uncomely 
and  the  people  were  poor;  and  more  than 
that.  There  was  a  look  of  positive  want  of 
respectability.  But  the  little  boy  who  was 
keeping  the  door  was  decent  enough;  and 


334 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 


presently  now  he  opened  the  door  and  stood 
by  to  let  Norton  and  Matilda  pass  in. 

There  they  found  a  large  plain  room,  airy 
and  roomy  and  light,  filled  with  children  and 
teachers  all  in  a  great  breeze  of  business. 
Everybody  seemed  to  be  quite  engrossed 
with  something  or  other;  and  Norton  and 
Matilda  slowly  went  up  one  of  the  long  aisles 
between  rows  of  classes,  waiting  and  looking 
for  somebody  to  speak  to  them.  The  chil- 
dren seemed  to  have  no  eyes  to  give  to 
strangers;  the  teachers  seemed  to  have  no 
time.  Suddenly  a  young  man  stood  in  front 
of  Norton  and  greeted  the  two  very  cordially. 

"  Are  you  coming  to  join  us  ? "  he  asked 
with  a  keen  glance  at  them.  And  as  they 
did  not  deny  it,  though  Norton  hardly  made 
an  intelligible  answer,  he  led  them  up  the 
room  and  at  the  very  top  introduced  them  to 
a  gentleman. 

"  Mr.  Wharncliffe,  will  you  take  charge  of 
these  new  comers?  For  to-day,  perhaps  it 
will  be  the  best  thing." 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 


335 


So  Norton  and  Matilda  found  themselves 
at  one  end  of  a  circular  seat  which  was  filled 
with  the  boys  and  girls  of  a  large  class. 
Very  different  from  themselves  these  boys 
and  girls  were ;  belonging  to  another  stratum 
of  what  is  called  society.  If  their  dress  was 
decent,  it  was  as  much  as  could  be  said  of  it ; 
no  elegance  or  style  was  within  the  aim  of 
any  of  them  ;  a  faded  frock  was  in  one  place, 
and  a  patched  pair  of  trowsers  in  another 
place,  and  not  one  of  the  little  company  but 
shewed  all  over  poverty  of  means  and  igno- 
rance of  fashion.  Yet  the  faces  testified  to 
no  poverty  of  wits ;  intelligence  and  interest 
were  manifest  on  every  one,  along  with  the 
somewhat  spare  and  pinched  look  of  ill  sup- 
plied appetites.  Norton  read  the  signs,  and 
thought  himself  much  out  of  place.  Matilda 
read  them ;  and  shrank  a  little  from  the  asso- 
ciation. However,  she  reflected  that  this 
was  the  first  day  of  her  being  in  the  school ; 
doubtless  when  the  people  saw  who  and  what 
she  was  they  would  put  her  into  a  class  more 


336  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

suited  to  her  station.  Then  she  looked  at 
the  teacher ;  and  she  forgot  her  companions. 
He  was  a  young  man,  with  a  very  calm  face 
and  very  quiet  manner,  whose  least  word  and 
motion  however  was  watched  by  the  children, 
and  his  least  look  and  gesture  obeyed.  He 
sent  one  of  the  boys  to  fetch  a  couple  of 
Bibles  for  Matilda  and  Norton,  and  then  bade 
them  all  open  their  books  at  the  first  chapter 
of  Daniel. 

The  first  questions  were  about  Nebuchad- 
nezzar and  his  kingdom  of  Babylon.  Un- 
known subjects  to  most  of  the  members  of 
the  class ;  Mr.  Wharncliffe  had  to  tell  a  great 
deal  about  ancient  history  and  geography. 
He  had  a  map,  and  he  had  a  clear  head  of 
his  own,  for  he  made  the  talk  very  interesting 
and  very  easy  to  understand  ;  Matilda  found 
herself  listening  with  much  enjoyment.  A 
question  at  last  came  to  her ;  why  the  Lord 
gave  Jehoiakim,  king  of  Judah,  into  the 
hands  of  the  king  of  Babylon  ?  Matilda  did 
not  know.  She  was  told  to  find  the  25th 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  337 

chapter  of  Jeremiah  and  read  aloud  nine 
verses. 

"  Now  why  was  it  ?  "  said  the  teacher. 

"  Because  the  people  would  not  mind  the 
Lord's  words." 

The  next  question  came  to  Norton.  "  Could 
the  king  of  Babylon  have  taken  Jerusalem, 
if  the  Lord  had  not  given  it  into  his 
hands?" 

Norton  hesitated.  •  "  I  don't  know,  sir,"  he 
said  at  length. 

"  What  do  you  think  ?  " 

"  I  think  he  could." 

"  I  should  like  to  know  why  you  think  so." 

"  Because  the  king  of  Babylon  was  a  strong 
king,  and  had  plenty  of  soldiers  and  every- 
thing; and  Jehoiakim  had  only  a  little  king- 
dom anyhow." 

"  The  Bible  says  '  there  is  no  king  saved 
by  the  multitude  of  an  host.'  How  do  you 
account  for  the  fact  that  when  strong  kings 
and  great  armies  came  against  Jerusalem  at 
times  that  she  was  serving  and  trusting  God, 


338  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

they  never  could  do  anything,  but  were  mis- 
erably beaten  ?  " 

"  I  did  not  know  it,  sir,"  said  Norton  flush- 
ing a  little. 

"  I  thought  you  probably  did  not  know  it," 
said  Mr.  Wharncliffe  quietly.  "  You  did  not 
know  that  many  a  time,  when  the  people  of 
the  Jews  were  following  God,  one  man  of 
them  could  chase  a  thousand  ?  " 

«  No,  sir." 

"  Who  remembers  such  a  case  ?  " 

Norton  pricked  up  his  ears  and  listened; 
for  the  members  of  the  class  spoke  out  and 
gave  instance  after  instance,  till  the  teacher 
stopped  them  for  want  of  time  to  hear  more. 
The  lesson  went  on.  The  carrying  away  of 
Daniel  and  his  companions  was  told  of,  and 
"  the  learning  and  the  tongue  of  the  Chal- 
deans "  was  explained.  Gradually  the  ques- 
tion came  round  to  Matilda  again.  Why 
Daniel  and  the  other  three  noble  young  Jews 
would  not  eat  of  the  king's  meat? 

Matilda  could  not  guess. 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  339 

"  You  remember  that  the  Jews,  as  the 
Lord's  people,  were  required  to  keep  them- 
selves ceremonially  clean,  as  it  was  called. 
If  they  eat  certain  things  or  touched  certain 
other  things,  they  were  not  allowed  to  go 
into  the  temple  to  worship,  until  at  least  that 
day  was  ended  and  they  had  washed  them- 
selves and  changed  their  clothes.  Some-/ 
times  many  more  days  than  one  must  pass 
before  they  could  be  'clean'  again,  in  that 
sense.  This  was  ceremony,  but  it  served  to 
teach  and  remind  them  of  something  that 
was  not  ceremony,  but  deep  inward  truth. 
What  ?  " 

Mr.  Wharncliffe  abruptly  stopped  with 
the  question,  and  a  tall  boy  at  one  end  of 
the  class  answered  him. 

"  People  must  keep  themselves  from  what 
is  not  good." 

"  The  people  of  God  must  keep  them- 
selves from  every  thing  that  is  not  pure,  in 
word,  thought,  and  deed.  And  how  if  they 
fail  sometimes,  Joanna,  and  get  soiled  by 


340  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

falling  into  some  temptation  ?  what  must 
they  do  ?  " 

«  Get  washed." 

"  What  shall  they  wash  in,  when  it  is  the 
heart  and  conscience  that  must  be  made 
clean  ?  " 

«  The  blood  of  Christ." 

"  How  will  that  make  us  clean  ?  " 

There  was  hesitation  in  the  class;  then 
as  Mr.  Wharncliffe's  eye  came  to  her  and 
rested  slightly,  Matilda  could  not  help  speak- 
ing. 

"  Because  it  was  shed  for  our  sins,  and  it 
takes  them  all  away." 

"  How  shall  we  wash  in  it  then  ? "  the 
teacher  asked,  still  looking  at  Matilda. 

"  If  we  trust  him  ?  "  —  she  began. 

"To  do  what?" 

"  To  forgive,  —  and  to  take  away  our 
wrong  feelings." 

"  For  his  blood's  sake ! "  said  the  teacher. 
"'They  have  washed  their  robes,  and  made 
them  white  in  the  blood  of  the  Lamb.'  And 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  341 

as  the  sacrifices  of  old  time  were  a  sort  of 
picture  and  token  of  the  pouring  out  of  that 
blood  ;  so  the  outward  cleanness  about  which 
the  Jews  had  to  be  so  particular  was  a  sort 
of  sign  and  token  of  the  pure  heart-cleanness 
which  every  one  must  have  who  follows  the 
Lord  Jesus. 

"  And  so  we  come  back  to  Daniel.  If  he 
eat  the  food  sent  from  the  king's  table  he 
would  be  certain  to  touch  and  eat  now  and 
then  something  which  would  be,  for  him,  cere- 
monially unclean.  More  than  that.  Often 
the  king's  meat  was  prepared  from  part  of  an 
animal  which  had  been  sacrificed  to  an  idol ; 
to  eat  of  the  sacrifice  was  part  of  the  wor- 
ship of  the  idol;  and  so  Daniel  and  his 
fellows  might  have  been  thought  to  share  in 
that  worship." 

"  But  it  wouldn't  have  been  true,"  said  a 
boy  in  the  class. 

"  What  would  not  have  been  true  ?  " 

"  He  would  not  have  been  worshipping  the 
idol.  He  didn't  mean  it." 


342 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 


"  So  you  think  he  might  just  as  well  have 
eaten  the  idol's  meat?  not  meaning  any 
thing." 

"  It  wouldn't  have  been  service  of  the  idol." 

"  What  would  it  have  been  ?  " 

"  Why,  nothing  at  all.  I  don't  see  as  he 
would  have  done  no  harm." 

"  What  harm  would  it  have  been,  or  what 
harm  would  it  have  done,  if  Daniel  had  really 
joined  in  the  worship  of  Nebuchadnezzar's 
idol?" 

"  He  would  have  displeased  God,"  said  one. 

"  I  guess  God  would  have  punished  him," 
said  another. 

"  He  would  not  have  been  God's  child  any 
longer,"  said  Matilda. 

"  All  true.  But  is  no  other  harm  done 
when  a  child  of  God  forgets  his  Father's 
commands?  " 

"  He  helps  others  to  do  wrong,"  said  Ma- 
tilda softly. 

"  He  makes  them  think  'tain't  no  odds 
about  the  commands,"  a  girl  remarked. 


7*HE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  343 

"  How's  they  to  know  what  the  commands 
is  ? "  a  second  boy  asked,  "  if  he  don't  shew 
'em?" 

"  Very  true,  Robert,"  said  Mr.  Wharncliffe. 
"  I  have  heard  it  said,  that  Christians  are  the 
only  Bible  some  folks  ever  read." 

"  'Cause  they  hain't  got  none  ? "  asked  one 
of  the  class. 

"  Perhaps.  Or  if  they  have  got  one,  they 
do  not  study  it.  But  a  true,  beautiful  life 
they  cannot  help  reading;  and  it  tells  them 
what  they  ought  to  be." 

"  Daniel  gave  a  good  example,"  said  the 
slim  lad  at  the  end  of  the  class. 

"  That  we  can  all  do,  if  we  have  a  mind, 
Peter.  But  in  that  case  we  must  not  seem  to 
do  what  we  ought  not  to  do  really.  We 
help  the  devil  that  way.  Now  read  the  9th 
and  10th  verses.  What  was  Daniel's  friend 
afraid  of?" 

"  Afraid  the  king  would  not  like  it." 

"  If  Daniel  and  his  friends  did  not  eat  like 
the  others.  Do  our  friends  sometimes  object 


344         THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

to  OUT  doing  right,  on  the  ground  that  we 
shall  not  be  like  other  people  if  we  do  ?  " 

There  was  a  general  chorus  of  assent. 

"  Well,  we  don't  want  to  be  unlike  other 
people,  do  we  ?  " 

Some  said  yes,  and  some  said  no ;  conflict- 
ing opinions. 

"You  say  no,  Heath;  give  us  your  rea- 
sons." 

"  They  make  fun  of  you  " —  said  the  boy, 
a  little  under  breath. 

"  They  fight  you "  —  said  another  more 
boldly. 

"  They  don't  want  to  have  nothing  to  do 
with  you,"  a  girl  said. 

"  Laugh,  and  quarrel,  and  separate  you 
from  their  company,"  repeated  the  teacher. 
"  Not  very  pleasant  things.  But  some  of  you 
said  yes.  Give  us  your  reasons,  if  you 
please." 

"  We  can't  be  like  Christ  and  like  the 
world,"  Peter  answered. 

" '  Ye  are  not  of  the  world,  even  as  I  am  not 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  345 

of  the  world,'  "  said  Mr.  Wharncliffe.  "  Most 
true !  And  some  of  us  do  want  to  be  like 
our  Master.  Well?  who  else  has  a  reason?" 

"  I  think  it  is  very  hard,"  said  Matilda,  "  to 
do  right  and  not  be  unlike  other  people." 

"  So  hard,  my  dear,  that  it  is  impossible," 
said  the  teacher,  looking  somewhat  steadily 
at  his  new  scholar.  "  And  are  you  one  of 
those  who  want  to  do  right  ?  " 

Matilda  answered  ;  but  as  she  did  so  some- 
thing made  her  voice  tremble  and  her  eyes 
fill. 

"  For  the  sake  of  doing  right,  then,  and  for 
the  sake  of  being  like  Jesus,  some  of  us  are 
willing  to  be  unlike  other  people  ;  though  the 
consequences  of  that  are  not  always  pleasant. 
Is  there  nothing  more  to  be  said  on  the  sub- 
ject?" 

"  The  people  that  have  the  Lord's  name  in 
their  foreheads,  will  be  with  him  by  and  by," 
remarked  a  girl  who  had  not  yet  spoken. 

"  And  he  is  with  them  now,"  said  Mr. 
Wharncliffe.  "  Yes,  Sarah." 


346  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

"  And  then  there  will  be  a  great  gulf  be- 
tween," said  a  boy. 

"  Well,  I  think  we  have  got  reason  enough,'' 
said  Mr.  Wharncliffe.  "  To  be  on  the  right  side 
of  the  dividing  gulf  then,  we  must  be  content 
to  be  on  the  same  side  of  it  now.  Daniel 
judged  so,  it  is  clear.  On  the  whole,  did  he 
lose  anything  ?  " 

The  teacher's  eyes  were  looking  at  Norton, 
and  he  was  constrained  to  answer  no. 

«  What  did  he  gain  ?  " 

Norton  was  still  the  one  looked  at,  and  he 
fidgeted.  Mr.  Wharncliffe  waited. 

"  I  suppose,  God  gave  him  learning  and 
wisdom." 

"  In  consequence  of  his  learning  and 
wisdom,  which  were  very  remarkable,  what 
then  ?  » 

"  The  king's  favour,"  said  Norton. 

"  Just  what  the  friends  of  the  young  Jews 
had  been  afraid  they  would  lose.  They 
*  stood  before  the  king ; '  that  means  they  were 
appointed  to  be  king's  officers;  they  served 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  347 

him,  not  any  meaner  man.  Now  how  does 
this  all  come  home  to  us?  How  are  we 
tempted,  as  Daniel  and  his  fellows  were 
tempted  ?  " 

Norton,  at  whom  Mr.  "Wharncliffe  glanced, 
replied  that  he  did  not  know.  Matilda  also 
was  silent,  though  longing  to  utter  her  con- 
fession. The  questioning  eyes  passed  on. 

"  The  fellows  think  you  must  do  as  they 
does,"  said  a  lad  who  sat  next  Matilda. 

"In  what?" 

That  boy  hesitated;  the  next  spoke  up, 
and  said,  "  Lying,  and  lifting." 

"  And  swearing,"  added  a  third. 

"  How  if  you  do  not  follow  their  ways  ?  " 

"  Some  thinks  you  won't  never  get  along, 
nohow." 

"  What  is  your  opinion,  Lawrence  ?  " 

The  boy  shifted  his  position  a  little  un- 
easily. "  They  say  you  won't,  teacher." 

"  So  Daniel's  friend  was  afraid  he  would 
not  get  along,  if  he  did  not  eat  the  king's 
meat.  Girls,  does  the  temptation  come  to 
you?" 


348  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

There  was  a  general  chorus  of  "  Yes,  sir," 
and  "  Yes,  sir." 

"  Have  you  tried  following  the  Lord's  word 
against  people's  opinion  ?  " 

Again  "Yes,  sir"  —  came  modestly  from 
several  lips. 

"  Do  you  find  any  ill  come  from  it  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sir,  a  little,"  said  a  girl  who  might 
have  been  two  or  three  years  older  than  Ma- 
tilda. "  You  get  made  game  of,  and  scolded, 
sometimes.  And  they  say  you  are  lofty,  or 
mean.  Sometimes  they  say  one  to  me,  and 
sometimes  the  other." 

"  And  they  plague  a  feller,"  said  a  boy ; 
« the  worst  kind." 

"  Is  it  hard  to  bear  ?  " 

"  I  think  it  ts,"  said  the  girl ;  and  one  or 
two  of  the  boys  said  again,  "  Yes,  sir." 

"  Reckon  you'd  think  so,  if  you  tried, 
teacher,"  another  put  in.  "  They  rolled  Sam 
in  the  mud,  the  other  day.  There  was  six  of 
'em,  you  see,  and  he  hadn't  no  chance." 

"  Sam,  how  did  it  feel  ?  And  how  did  you 
feel?" 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  349 

"  Teacher,  'twarn't  easy  to  feel  right." 

"  Could  you  manage  it  ?  " 

"  I  guess  not,  at  first.  But  afterwards  I 
remembered." 

"  What  did  you  remember  ?  " 

"  I  remembered  they  didn't  know  no  better, 
sir." 

"  I  think  you  are  mistaken.  They  knew 
they  were  doing  wrong ;  how  wrong,  I  sup- 
pose they  did  not  know.  Well,  Sam  —  'if 
any  man  suffer  as  a  Christian,  let  him  not  be 
ashamed,  but  let  him  glorify  God  on  this  be- 
half.' Were  you  ashamed  ?  " 

«  No,  sir." 

"  God  says,  '  Them  that  honour  me,  I  will 
honour ; '  and,  — '  Be  thou  faithful  unto  death, 
and  I  will  give  thee  a  crown  of  life.'  The 
honour  that  he  gives  will  be  real  honour.  It 
is  worth  while  waiting  for  it.  Now  our  time 
will  be  up  in  two  minutes  —  Peter,  what  les- 
son do  you  get  from  all  this  ?  for  your- 
self?" 

"  To  be  more  careful,  sir." 


350  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

"  Of  what,  my  boy  ?  " 

"  Careful  not  to  have  anything  to  do  with 
bad  ways." 

"  Can't  be  too  careful ;  the  temptation 
comes  strong.  Ellen,  what  is  your  lesson  ?  " 

"  I  never  saw  before  how  much  a  good 
example  is." 

"  Ay.  God  often  is  pleased  to  make  it 
very  much.  Well,  Dick." 

"  Teacher,  I  don't  think  New  York  is  like 
that  'ere  place." 

"  Don't  you  ?     Why  not  ?  " 

"  Folks  can't  get  along  that  way  in  our 
streets." 

"  How  do  you  find  it,  Sam  ?  and  what  is 
your  conclusion  from  the  lesson." 

"  I  wish  I  was  more  like  Dan'l,  teacher." 

"  So  I  wish.  You  and  I  are  agreed,  Sam. 
And  Daniel's  God  is  ours,  remember. 
Heath?" 

"  They  was  rum  fellers,  teacher,  them  'ere." 

"  That  is  your  conclusion.  Well !  so  some 
people  thought  then.  But  Daniel  and  his 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  351 

fellows  came  to  glory.  What  have  you  to 
say,  Joanna  ? 

"  I  think  I  hain't  been  keerful  enough, 
teacher." 

"  Robert  ?  " 

"  I  think  it  is  best  to  let  go  everything  else 
and  trust  God." 

"  You'll  make  no  mistake  so,  my  boy. 
Sarah,  what  is  the  lesson  to  you  ?  " 

The  girl,  a  very  poorly  dressed  one,  hesi- 
tated, and  then  said  a  little  falteringly,  — 

"  It's  nice  to  be  clean  inside,  teacher." 

The  teacher  paused  a  moment  also  before 
his  eye  came  to  Matilda,  and  then  it  was  very 
soft. 

"  What  does  my  new  scholar  say  ?  " 

Matilda  struggled  with  herself,  looked  down 
and  looked  up,  and  met  the  kind  eyes  again. 

"  One  must  be  willing  to  be  unlike  the 
world,"  she  said. 

"  Is  it  easy  ?  " 

«  I  think  it  is  very  hard,  sir." 

"  Do  you  find  it  so,  my  friend  ?  "  he  asked, 


352  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

his  eye  going  on  to  Norton.  But  the  bell 
rang  just  then ;  and  in  the  bustle  of  rising 
and  finding  the  hymn  Norton  contrived  to 
escape  the  answering  and  yet  without  being 
rude. 

As  they  were  turning  away,  after  the  ser- 
vices were  ended,  Matilda  felt  a  light  touch 
on  her  shoulder  and  her  teacher  said  quietly, 
«  Wait."  She  stood  still,  while  he  went  up 
to  speak  to  somebody.  All  the  other  children 
passed  out,  and  she  was  quite  alone  when  Mr. 
Wharncliffe  came  back  to  her. 

"  Which  way  are  you  going  ?  " 

"  Down  the  avenue,  sir." 

"  What  avenue  ?  " 

"  Blessington  avenue.  But  only  to  40th 
street" 

"  Let  us  go  together." 

They  had  the  walk  to  themselves  ;  for 
though  Norton  had  waited  for  Matilda  till 
she  came  out,  he  sheered  off  when  he  saw 
what  company  she  was  in,  and  contented 
himself  with  keeping  her  in  sight.  Just  then 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  353 

Norton  did  not  care  to  come  to  closer  quar- 
ters with  Mr.  Wharncliffe.  This  gentleman 
talked  pleasantly  with  Matilda ;  asked  how 
she  happened  to  come  to  the  school,  how  long 
she  had  been  in  the  city,  and  something  about 
her  life  at  Shady  walk.  At  last  he  came  back 
to  the  subject  of  the  afternoon's  lesson. 

"  You  think  it  is  difficult  to  be  as  loyal  as 
Daniel  was  ?  " 

"  What  is  « loyal,'  sir  ?  " 

"  It  is  being  a  true  subject,  in  heart ;  — 
faithful  to  the  honour  and  will  of  one's  king." 

"  I  think  it  is  difficult  "  —  Matilda  said  in 
a  subdued  tone. 

"  How  come  you  to  find  it  so  ?  " 

«  Mr.  Wharncliffe,"  said  Matilda  suddenly 
making  up  her  mind,  "  it  is  very  hard  not  to 
want  to  be  fashionable." 

"  I  don't  know  that  there  is  any  harm  in 
being  fashionable,"  said  her  teacher  quietly. 
But  though  his  face  was  quiet,  it  was  so 
strong  and  good  that  Matilda  felt  great  re- 
liance on  all  it  said. 


354  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

"  Isn't  there  ?  "  she  asked  quite  eagerly. 

"Why  should  there  be?" 

"  But  —  it  costs  so  much  !  "  Matilda  could 
not  help  confessing  it. 

"  To  be  fashionable  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sir." 

"  You  do  not  dress  yourself,  I  suppose. 
The  money  is  not  your  money,  is  it?  " 

"  Yes,  sir,  some  of  it  is  my  money  ;  because 
I  have  an  allowance,  and  get  my  own  shoes 
and  gloves." 

"  And  you  find  it  costs  a  great  deal  to  be 
fashionable  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sir ;  a  great  deal." 

"  What  would  you  like  to  do  with  your 
money  ?  " 

"  There  is  a  great  deal  to  do,"  said  Ma- 
tilda soberly.  "  A  great  many  people  want 
help,  don't  they  ?  " 

"  More  than  you  think.  I  could  tell  you 
of  several  in  the  class  you  have  just  been 
with." 

«  Then,  sir,  what  ought  I  to  do  ?  "  —  and 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  355 

Matilda  lifted  two  earnest,  troubled  eyes  to 
the  face  of  her  teacher. 

"  I  think  you  ought  to  look  carefully  to  see 
what  the  Lord  has  given  you  to  do,  and  ask 
him  to  shew  you." 

"  But  about  spending  my  money  ?  " 

"  Then  you  will  better  be  able  to  tell. 
When  you  see  clearly  what  you  can  do  with 
a  dollar,  it  will  not  be  very  hard  to  find  out 
whether  Jesus  means  you  should  do  that  with 
it,  or  buy  a  pair  of  gloves,  for  instance.  We 
will  talk  more  about  this  and  I  will  help  you. 
Here  is  your  house.  Good  bye." 

"  But  Mr.  Wharncliffe,"  said  Matilda,  eager- 
ly, as  she  met  the  clasp  of  his  hand,  —  "  one 
thing;  I  want  to  stay  in  your  class.  May  I?" 

"  I  shall  be  very  glad  to  have  you.  Good 
bye." 

He  went  off  down  the  avenue,  and  Matilda 
stood  looking  after  him.  He  was  a  young 
man  ;  he  was  hardly  what  people  call  a  hand- 
some man ;  his  figure  had  nothing  imposing ; 
but  the  child's  heart  went  after  him  down  the 


356  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

avenue.  His  face  had  so  much  of  the  strength 
and  the  sweetness  and  the  beauty  of  good- 
ness, that  it  attracted  inevitably  those  who 
saw  it  ;  there  was  a  look  of  self-poise  and 
calm  which  as  surely  invited  trust ;  truth  and 
power  were  in  the  face,  to  such  a  degree  that 
it  is  not  wonderful  a  child's  heart,  or  an  older 
person's,  for  that  matter,  should  be  won  and 
his  confidence  given  even  on  a  very  short 
acquaintance.  Matilda  stood  still  in  the 
street,  following  the  teacher's  receding  figure 
with  her  eye. 

"  What  are  you  looking  at  ?  "  said  Norton, 
now  coming  up. 

"  O  Norton  !  didn't  you  like  the  school  very 
much  ?  " 

"  They're  a  queer  set,"  said  Norton. 
"  They're  a  poor  set,  Pink!  a  miserable  poor 
set." 

«  Well,  what  then  ?  Don't  you  like  the 
teacher  ?  " 

"  He's  well  enough ;  but  I  don't  like  the 
company." 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 


357 


"  They  were  very  well  behaved,  Norton ; 
quite  as  well  as  the  children  at  Shadywalk." 

"  Shadywalk  was  Shadywalk,"  said  Nor- 
ton, "  but  here  it  is  another  thing.  It  won't 
do.  Why  Pink,  I  shouldn't  wonder  if  some 
of  them  were  street  boys." 

"  I  think  some  of  those  in  the  class  were 
good,  Norton ;  boys  and  girls  too." 

"  Maybe  so,"  said  Norton ;  "  but  their 
clothes  weren't.  Faugh  !  " 

Matilda  went  into  the  house,  wondering 
at  her  old  problem,  but  soon  forgetting  won- 
der in  mixed  sorrow  and  joy.  All  the  beauty 
of  being  a  true  child  of  God  rose  up  fresh 
before  her  eyes;  some  of  the  honour  and 
dignity  of  it ;  nothing  in  all  the  world,  Ma- 
tilda was  sure,  could  be  so  lovely  or  so  happy. 
But  she  had  not  honoured  her  King  like 
Daniel ;  and  that  grieved  her.  She  was  very 
sure  now  what  she  wanted  to  be. 

The  next  morning  she  took  up  the  matter 
of  her  Christmas  gifts  in  a  new  spirit.  What 
was  she  meant  to  do  with  her  twenty  dollars  ? 


358  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

Before  she  could  decide  that,  she  must  know 
a  little  better  what  it  was  possible  to  do ;  and 
for  that  Mr.  Wharncliffe  had  promised  his 
help.  She  must  wait.  In  the  meanwhile  she 
studied  carefully  the  question,  what  it  was 
best  for  her  to  give  to  her  sisters  and  the 
members  of  her  immediate  family  circle  ;  and 
very  grave  became  Matilda's  consideration  of 
the  shops.  Her  little  face  was  almost  comi- 
cal now  and  then  in  its  absorbed  pondering 
of  articles  and  prices  and  calculation  of  sums. 
An  incredible  number  and  variety  of  the 
latter,  both  in  addition  and  subtraction,  were 
done  in  her  head  those  days,  resolving  twenty 
dollars  into  an  unheard  of  number  of  parts 
and  forming  an  unknown  number  of  combi- 
nations with  them.  She  bought  the  bronze 
obelisk  for  Mrs.  Laval ;  partly  that  she  might 
have  some  pennies  on  hand  for  the  street 
sweepers  ;  but  then  came  a  time  of  fair 
weather  days,  and  the  street  sweepers  were 
not  at  the  crossings.  Matilda  purchased 
furthermore  some  dark  brown  silk  braid  for 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 


359 


Norton's  watchguard,  and  was  happy  mak- 
ing it,  whenever  she  could  be  shut  up  in  her 
room.  She  dared  not  trust  Judy's  eyes  or 
tongue. 

One  day  she  was  busy  at  this,  her  fingers 
flying  over  the  braid  and  her  thoughts  as 
busy,  when  somebody  tried  to  open  her  door, 
and  then  tapped  at  it.  Matilda  hid  her  work 
and  opened,  to  let  in  Judy.  She  was  a  good 
deal  surprised,  for  she  had  not  been  so 
honoured  before.  Judith  and  her  brother 
were  very  cool  and  distant  since  the  purchase 
of  the  liqueur  stand. 

"  What  do  you  keep  your  door  locked  for  ?  " 
was  the  young  lady's  salutation  now,  while 
her  eyes  roved  over  all  the  furniture  and  fill- 
ing of  Matilda's  apartment. 

"  I  was  busy." 

"  Didn't  you  want  anybody  to  come  in  ?  " 

"  Not  without  my  knowing  it." 

"  What  were  you  doing  then  ?  " 

"If  I  had  wanted  everybody  to  know,  I 
should  not  have  shut  myself  up." 


360  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

"  No,  I  suppose  not.  I  suppose  you  want 
me  out  of  the  way,  too.  Well,  I  am  not 
going." 

"  I  do  not  want  you  to  go,  Judy,  if  you  like 
to  stay.  That  is,  if  you  will  be  good." 

"  Good  ?  "  said  the  other,  her  eyes  snap- 
ping. "  What  do  you  call  good  ?  " 

"  Everybody  knows  what  good  means, 
don't  they  ?  "  said  Matilda. 

"  /  don't,"  said  Judy.  "  I  have  my  way 
of  being  good — that's  all.  Everybody  has 
his  own  way.  What  is  yours  ?  " 

"  But  there  is  only  one  real  way." 

"  Ain't  there,  though !  "  exclaimed  Judy. 
"I'll  shew  you  a  dozen." 

"  They  can't  be  all  good,  Judy." 

«  Who's  to  say  they  are  not  ?  " 

"Why,  the  Bible."  The  minute  she  had 
said  it  the  colour  flushed  to  Matilda's  face. 
But  Judy  went  on  with  the  greatest  coolness. 

"  Your  Bible,  or  my  Bible  ?  " 

"  There  isn't  but  one  Bible,  Judy,  that  I 
know." 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  361 

"  Yes,  there  is ! "  said  the  young  lady 
fiercely.  «  There's  our  Bible,  that's  the  true. 
There's  yours,  that's  nothing,  that  you  dare 
bind  up  with  it." 

u  They  both  say  the  same  thing,"  said  Ma- 
tilda. 

"  They  DON'T  ! "  said  the  girl,  sitting 
upright,  and  her  eyes  darted  fire.  "  They 
don't  say  a  word  alike;  don't  you  dare  say 
it." 

"  Why  Judy,  what  the  one  says  is  good,  the 
other  says  is  good ;  there  is  no  difference  in 
that.  Did  you  ever  read  the  New  Testa- 
ment?" 

"  No !  and  I  don't  want  to ;  nor  the  other 
either.  But  I  didn't  come  to  talk  about 
that." 

"  What  do  you  call  goodness,  then  ?  " 

"  Goodness  ? "  said  Judy,  relapsing  into 
comparatively  harmless  mischief;  "  goodness? 
It's  a  sweet  apple  —  and  I  hate  sweet  ap- 
ples." 

"  What  do  you  mean  ?  " 


362  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

"  I  mean  that.  Goody  folks  are  stupid. 
Aren't  they,  though!" 

"  But  then,  what  is  your  notion  of  real 
goodness  ?  " 

"  I  don't  believe  there  is  such  a  thing. 
Come!  you  don't  either." 

"  I  don't  believe  in  goodness  ?  " 

"  Goodness ! "  repeated  Judy  impatiently, 
"  you  needn't  stare.  I  don't  choose  to  be 
stared  at.  You  know  it  as  well  as  I.  When 
you  are  what  you  call  good,  you  just  want 
the  name  of  it.  So  do  I  sometimes;  and 
then  I  get  it.  That's  cheap  work." 

"  Want  the  name  of  what  ?  " 

"  Why,  of  being  good." 

"  Then  goodness  is  something.  You 
wouldn't  want  the  name  of  nothing." 

Judy  laughed.  "  I  haven't  come  here  to  be 
good  to-day,"  she  said ;  "  nor  to  talk  nonsense. 
I  want  to  tell  you  about  something.  We  are 
going  to  have  a  party." 

"  A  party !  when  ?  " 

"  Christmas   eve.      Now   it  is   our   party, 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  363 

you  understand  ;  mine  and  Norton's  and 
David's ;  mamma  has  nothing  to  do  with  it, 
nor  grandmamma,  except  to  prepare  every- 
thing. That  she'll  do ;  but  we  have  got  to 
prepare  the  entertainment;  and  we  are  going 
to  play  games  and  act  proverbs ;  and  I  have 
come  to  see  how  much  you  know,  and 
whether  you  can  help." 

"  What  do  you  want  me  to  know  ?  "  said 
Matilda.  "  I'll  help  all  I  can." 

"  How  much  do  you  know  about  games  ? 
Can  you  play  '  What's  my  thought  like  ? '  or 
'  Consequences  ?  '  or  anything  ?  " 

"  I  never  played  games  much,"  said  Ma- 
tilda, with  a  sudden  feeling  of  inferiority.  "  I 
never  had  much  chance." 

"  I  dare  say  !  "  said  Judy.  "  I  knew  that 
before  I  came.  Well  of  course  you  can't  act 
proverbs.  You  don't  know  anything." 

«  What  is  it  ?  "  said  Matilda.  "  Tell  me. 
Perhaps  I  can  learn." 

"  You  can't  learn  in  a  minute,"  said  Judy 
with  a  slight  toss  of  her  head,  which  indeed 


364  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

was  much  given  to  wagging  in  various  direc- 
tions. 

"  But  tell  me,  please." 

"  Well,  there's  no  harm  in  that.  We 
choose  a  proverb,  of  course,  first ;  for  instance 
the  boys  are  going  to  play  '  It's  ill  talking 
between  a  full  man  and  a  fasting.'  This  is 
how  they  are  going  to  do  it.  Nobody  knows, 
you  understand,  what  the  proverb  is,  but  they 
must  guess  it.  Norton  will  be  a  rich  man 
who  wants  to  buy  a  piece  of  land  ;  and  David 
is  the  man  who  owns  the  land  and  has  come 
to  see  him ;  but  he  has  come  a  good  way, 
and  he  is  without  his  dinner,  and  he  feels  as 
cross  as  can  be,  and  no  terms  will  suit  him. 
So  they  talk  and  talk,  and  disagree  and  quar- 
rel and  are  ridiculous  ;  till  at  last  Norton  finds 
out  that  Davy  hasn't  dined ;  and  then  he 
orders  up  everything  in  the  house  he  can 
think  of,  that  is  good,  and  makes  him  eat ; 
and  when  he  has  eaten  everything  and  drunk 
wine  and  they  are  cracking  nuts,  then  Norton 
begins  again  about  the  piece  of  land  ;  and  the 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  365 

poor  man  is  so  comfortable  now  he  is  willing 
to  sell  anything  he  has  got;  and  Norton  gets 
it  for  his  own  price.  Won't  it  be  good  ?  " 

"  I  should  think  it  would  be  very  interest- 
ing," said  Matilda;  whom  indeed  the  descrip- 
tion interested  mightily.  "  But  how  could  I 
help  ?  I  don't  see." 

"  O  not  in  that  you  couldn't,  of  course ; 
Davy  and  Norton  don't  want  any  help,  I 
guess,  from  anybody  ;  they  know  all  about  it. 
But  I  want  you  to  help  me.  I  wonder  if  you 
can.  I  don't  believe  you  can,  either.  I  shall 
have  to  get  somebody  else." 

"  What  do  you  want  me  to  do  ? "  said 
Matilda,  feeling  socially  very  small  indeed. 

"  I  am  going  to  play  '  Riches  bring  care.' 
I  am  a  rich  old  woman,  like  grandmamma, 
only  not  like  her,  for  she  is  never  worried 
about  anything ;  but  I  am  worried  to  death 
for  fear  this  or  that  will  come  to  harm.  And 
I  want  you  to  be  my  maid.  I  must  have 
somebody,  you  know,  to  talk  to  and  worry 
with." 


366  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

«  If  that  is  all,"  said  Matilda,  "  I  should 
think  I  could  be  talked  to." 

"But  it  isn't  all,  stupid!"  said  Judy. 
"  You  must  know  how  to  answer  back,  and 
try  to  make  me  believe  things  are  going  right, 
and  so  worry  me  more  and  more." 

"  Suppose  we  try,"  said  Matilda.  "  I  don't 
know  how  I  could  do,  but  maybe  I  might 
learn." 

"  I'd  rather  have  it  all  in  the  house,"  said 
Judy,  "if  I  can.  Two  proverbs  will  be 
enough  ;  for  they  take  a  good  while  —  dress- 
ing and  all,  you  know." 

"  Dressing  for  the  proverbs  ?  " 

"  Of  course !  Dressing,  indeed !  Do  I  look 
like  an  old  woman  without  dressing  ?  Not 
just  yet.  We  must  be  dressed  up  to  the 
work.  But  we  can  practise  without  being 
dressed.  When  the  boys  come  home  to- 
night, we'll  come  up  here  to  the  lobby  and 
practise.  But  I  don't  believe  you'll  do." 

"  Will  it  be  a  large  party,  Judy  ?  " 

"  Hm — I  don't  know.    I  guess  not.  Grand- 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  367 

mamma  doesn't  like  large  parties.     I  dare  say 
she  won't  have  more  than  fifty." 

Fifty  seemed  a  very  large  party  to  Matilda ; 
but  she  would  not  expose  her  ignorance,  and 
so  held  her  peace.  Judy  pottered  about  the 
room  for  a  while  longer,  looking  at  everything 
in  it,  and  out  of  it,  Matilda  thought ;  for  she 
lounged  at  the  windows  with  her  arms  on  the 
sill,  gazing  up  and  down  at  all  that  was  going 
on  in  the  street.  Finally  said  they  would  try 
a  practice  in  the  evening,  and  she  departed. 


CHAPTER    XL 

'Tr'*HE  acted  proverbs  that  night  went  pretty 
well ;  so  the  boys  said ;  and  Matilda 
went  to  bed  feeling  that  life  was  very  delight- 
ful where  such  rare  diversions  were  to  be  had, 
and  such  fine  accomplishments  acquired.  The 
next  time,  Judy  said,  they  would  dress  for 
the  acting ;  that  needed  practising  too. 

The  day  following,  when  she  got  up,  Ma- 
tilda was  astonished  to  find  the  air  thick  with 
snow  and  her  window  sills  quite  filled  up 
with  it  already.  She  had  meant  to  take  a 
walk  down  town  to  make  a  purchase  she  had 
determined  on;  and  her  first  thought  was, 
how  bad  the  walking  would  be  now,  after  the 
dry  clean  streets  they  had  rejoiced  in  for  a 
week  or  two  past.  The  next  thought  was, 
that  the  street  sweepers  would  be  out.  For 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  369 

some  time  she  had  not  seen  them.  They 
would  be  out  in  force  to-day.  Matilda  had 
pennies  ready  ;  she  was  quite  determined  on 
the  propriety  of  that ;  and  she  thought  besides 
that  a  kind  word  or  two  might  be  given  where 
she  had  a  chance.  "  I  am  sure  Jesus  would 
speak  to  them,"  she  said  to  herself.  "  He 
would  try  to  do  them  good.  I  wonder,  can 
I  ?  But  I  can  try." 

She  had  the  opportunity  even  sooner  than 
she  expected ;  for  while  she  was  eating  her 
breakfast  the  snow  stopped  and  the  sun  came 
out  So  about  eleven  o'clock  she  made  ready 
and  set  forth.  There  was  a  very  convenient 
little  pocket  on  the  outside  of  her  grey  pelisse, 
in  which  she  could  bestow  her  pennies.  Ma- 
tilda put  eleven  coppers  there,  all  she  had, 
and  one  silver  dime.  What  she  was  to  do 
with  that  she  did  not  know ;  but  she  thought 
she  would  have  it  ready. 

Clear,  bright  and  beautiful,  the  day  was; 
not  cold;  and  the  city  all  for  the  moment 
whitened  by  the  new  fall  of  snow.  So  she 
24 


370  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

thought  at  first ;  but  Matilda  soon  found  there 
was  no  whitening  New  York.  The  roadway 
was  cut  up  and  dirty,  of  course ;  and  the 
multitudes  of  feet  abroad  dragged  the  dirt 
upon  the  sidewalks.  However,  the  sky  was 
blue  ;  and  defilement  could  not  reach  the  sun- 
light ;  so  she  went  along  happy.  But  before 
she  got  to  Fourteenth  Street,  nine  of  her 
eleven  pennies  were  gone.  Some  timid 
words  had  gone  with  them  too,  sometimes ; 
and  Matilda  had  seen  the  look  of  dull  asking 
change  to  surprise  and  take  on  a  gleam  of 
life  in  more  than  one  instance ;  that  was  all 
that  could  be  said.  Two  boys  had  assured 
her  they  went  to  Sunday  school ;  one  or  two 
others  of  whom  she  had  asked  the  question 
had  not  seemed  to  understand  her.  Had  it 
done  any  good  ?  She  could  not  tell ;  how 
could  she  tell?  Perhaps  her  look  and  her 
words  and  her  penny,  all  together,  might  have 
brought  a  bit  of  cheer  into  lives  as  much 
trampled  into  the  dirt  as  the  very  snow  they 
swept.  Perhaps ;  and  that  was  worth  work- 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  371 

ing  for ;  "  anyhow,  all  I  can  do,  is  all  I  can 
do,"  thought  Matilda.  She  mused  too  on  the 
swift  way  money  has  of  disappearing  in  New 
York.  Norton's  watchguard  had  cost  twenty 
eight  cents ;  the  obelisk,  two  dollars ;  now 
the  dress  she  was  on  her  way  to  buy  for 
Letitia  would  take  two  dollars  and  a  half 
more ;  there  was  already  almost  five  gone  of 
her  twenty.  And  of  even  her  pennies  she  had 
only  two  left,  with  the  silver  bit.  "  However, 
they  won't  expect  me  to  give  them  anything 
again  as  I  go  back,"  she  thought,  referring  to 
the  street  sweepers.  "  Once  in  one  morning 
will  do,  I  suppose." 

Just  as  she  said  this  to  herself,  she  had 
come  to  another  crossing,  a  very  busy  one, 
where  carts  and  carriages  were  incessantly 
turning  down  or  coming  up ;  keeping  the 
sweeper  in  work.  It  was  a  girl  this  time ;  as 
old  or  older  than  herself;  a  little  tidy,  with  a 
grim  old  shawl  tied  round  her  waist  and 
shoulders,  but  bare  feet  in  the  snow.  Matilda 
might  have  crossed  in  the  crowd  without 


372  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

meeting  her,  but  she  waited  to  speak  and 
give  her  penny.  The  girl's  face  encouraged 
her. 

"  Are  you  not  very  cold  ?  "  Matilda  asked. 

«  No  —  I  don't  think  of  it."  The  answer 
seemed  to  come  doubtfully. 

"  Do  you  go  to  Sunday  school  anywhere  ?  " 

The  girl  sprang  from  her  at  this  minute  to 
clear  the  way  for  some  dainty  steppers,  where 
the  muddy  snow  had  been  flung  by  the 
horses'  feet  just  a  moment  before ;  and  to 
hold  her  hand  for  the  penny,  which  was  not 
given.  Slowly  she  came  back  to  Matilda. 

"  Do  most  of  the  people  give  you  some- 
thing ?  " 

"  No,"  said  the  girl.     "  Most  of  'em  don't." 

"  Do  you  go  to  Sunday  school  on  Sun- 
days ?  " 

"  O  yes :  I  go  to  Mr.  Rush's  Sunday 
school,  in  Forty  Second  street." 

"  Why,  J  go  there,"  said  Matilda.  «  Who's 
your  teacher  ?  " 

The  girl's  face  quite  changed  as  she  now 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 


373 


looked  at  her ;  it  grew  into  a  sort  of  answer- 
ing sympathy  of  humanity  ;  there  was  almost 
a  dawning  smile. 

"  I  remember  you,"  she  said  ;  "  I  didn't  at 
first,  but  I  do  now.  You  were  in  the  class 
last  Sunday.  I  am  in  Mr.  Wharncliffe's 
class." 

"  Why  so  do  I  remember  you! "  cried  Ma- 
tilda. "  You  are  Sarah  ?  " 

The  conversation  was  interrupted  again, 
for  the  little  street-sweeper  was  neglecting 
her  duties,  and  she  ran  to  attend  to  them. 
Out  and  in  among  the  carriages  and  horses' 
feet.  Matilda  wondered  why  she  did  not  get 
thrown  down  and  trampled  upon ;  but  she 
was  skilful  and  seemed  to  have  eyes  in  the 
back  of  her  head,  for  she  constantly  kept  just 
out  of  danger.  Matilda  waited  to  say  a  little 
more  to  her,  for  the  talk  had  become  interest- 
ing ;  in  vain,  the  little  street-sweeper  was  too 
busy,  and  the  morning  was  going;  Matilda 
had  to  attend  to  her  own  business  and  be 
home  by  one  o'clock.  She  had  found,  she 


374  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

thought,  the  place  where  her  silver  dime  be- 
longed; so  she  dropped  it  into  Sarah's  hand 
as  she  passed,  with  a  smile,  and  went  on  her 
way.  This  time  she  got  an  unmistakable 
smile  in  return,  and  it  made  her  glad. 

So  she  was  in  a  class  with  a  street- 
sweeper!  Matilda  reflected  as  she  went  on 
down  Broadway.  Well,  what  of  it?  They 
would  think  it  very  odd  at  home !  And  some- 
how it  seemed  odd  to  Matilda  herself.  Had 
she  got  a  little  out  of  her  place  in  going  to 
Mr.  Rush's  Sunday  school  ?  Could  it  be  best 
that  such  elegant  robes,  made  by  Mme.  Four- 
nissons,  should  sit  in  the  same  seat  with  a 
little  street  girl's  brown  rags  ?  "  She  was  not 
ragged  on  Sunday,  though,"  thought  Matilda ; 
"  poor  enough ;  and  some  of  those  boys  were 
street  boys,  I  dare  say.  However,  Mr.  Wharn- 
clifFe  is  a  gentleman;  there  is  no  doubt  of 
that ;  and  he  likes  his  class ;  some  of  them  are 
good,  I  think.  And  if  they  are,  Jesus  loves 
them.  He  loves  them  whether  or  no.  How 
odd  it  is  that  we  don't ! "  — 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 


375 


Matilda  went  on  trying  to  remember  all 
that  Sarah  had  said  in  the  school;  but  the 
different  speakers  and  words  were  all  jumbled 
up  in  her  mind,  and  she  could  not  quite  sepa- 
rate them.  She  forgot  Sarah  then  in  the 
delightful  business  of  choosing  a  dress  for 
Letitia ;  a  business  so  difficult  withal  that  it 
was  like  to  last  a  long  time,  if  Matilda  had 
not  remembered  one  o'clock.  She  feared  she 
would  be  late ;  yet  a  single  minute  more  of 
talk  with  the  street  girl  she  must  have ;  she 
walked  up  to  Fourteenth  street.  Sarah  was 
there  yet,  busy  at  her  post.  She  had  a  smile 
again  for  Matilda. 

"  Are  you  not  tired?  "  the  rich  child  asked 
of  the  poor  one. 

"  I  don't  think  of  being  tired,"  was  the 
answer. 

"  What  time  do  you  go  home  to  dinner  ?  " 

"  Dinner  ?  "  said  Sarah ;  and  she  shook  her 
head.  "  I  don't  go  home  till  night.  I  can't." 

"  But  how  do  you  take  your  dinner  ? " 
Matilda  asked. 


376  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

The  girl  flushed  a  little,  and  hesitated.  «  I 
can  take  it  here,"  she  said. 

"  Standing  ?  and  in  this  crowd  ?  " 

"  No.  —  I  go  and  sit  down  somewheres. 
'Tain't  such  a  dinner  as  you  have.  It's  easy 
took." 

"  Sarah,"  said  Matilda  suddenly,  "  you  love 
Jesus,  don't  you  ?  " 

"  Who  ?  "  she  said,  for  the  noise  and  rush 
of  horses  and  carriages  in  the  streets  was  tre- 
mendous, and  the  children  both  sprang  back 
to  the  sidewalk  just  then  out  of  the  way  of 
something.  "  Jesus  ?  Was  it  that  you  asked  ?  " 

She  stood  leaning  on  her  broom  and  look- 
ing at  her  questioner*  Matilda  could  see 
better  now  how  thin  the  face  was,  how 
marked  with  care;  but  at  the  same  time  a 
light  came  into  it  like  a  sunbeam  on  a  winter 
landscape ;  the  grey  changed  to  golden  some- 
how ;  and  the  set  of  the  girl's  lips,  gentle  and 
glad,  was  very  sweet. 

"  Do  I  love  him  ?  "  she  repeated.  "  He  is 
with  me  here  all  the  day  when  I  am  sweep- 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  377 

ing  the  snow.  Yes,  I  love  him !  and  he  loves 
me.  That  is  how  I  live." 

"  That's  how  I  want  to  live  too,"  said 
Matilda  ;  "  but  sometimes  I  forget." 

"  I  shouldn't  think  you'd  forget,"  said  Sarah. 
"  It  must  be  easy  for  you." 

"  What  must  be  easy  ?  " 

"  I  should  think  it  would  be  easy  to  be 
good,"  said  the  poor  girl,  her  eye  going  un- 
consciously up  and  down  over  the  tokens  of 
Matilda's  comfortable  condition. 

"  I  don't  think  having  things  helps  one  to 
be  good,"  said  Matilda.  "  It  makes  it  hard, 
sometimes." 

"I  sometimes  think  not  having  things 
makes  it  hard,"  said  the  other,  a  little  wist- 
fully. "But  Jesus  is  good,  anyhow!"  she 
added  with  a  content  of  face  which  was 
unshadowed. 

"  Good  bye,"  said  Matilda.  "  I  shall  see 
you  again."  And  she  ran  off  to  get  into  a 
horse  car.  The  little  street-sweeper  stood 
and  looked  after  her.  There  was  not  a  thing 


378  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

that  the  one  had  but  the  other  had  it  not. 
She  looked,  and  turned  to  her  sweeping 
again. 

Matilda  on  her  part  hurried  along,  with  a 
heart  quite  full,  but  remembering  at  the  same 
time  that  she  would  be  late  at  lunch.  At  the 
corner  where  she  stopped  to  wait  for  a  car 
there  was  a  fruit  stall,  stocked  with  oranges, 
apples,  candies  and  gingerbread.  It  brought 
back  a  thought  which  had  filled  her  head  a 
few  minutes  ago;  but  she  was  afraid  she 
would  be  late.  She  glanced  down  the  line 
of  rails  to  the  car  seen  coming  in  the  dis- 
tance, balanced  probabilities  a  moment,  then 
turned  to  the  fruit  woman.  She  bought  a 
cake  of  gingerbread  and  an  orange  and  an 
apple ;  had  to  wait  what  seemed  a  long  time 
to  receive  her  change  ;  then  rushed  across  the 
block  to  where  she  had  left  Sarah,  stopped 
only  to  put  the  things  in  her  hands,  and 
rushed  back  again  ;  not  in  time  to  catch  her 
car,  which  was  going  on  merrily  out  of  her 
hail.  But  the  next  one  was  not  far  behind  ; 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  379 

and  Matilda  enjoyed  Sarah's  lunch  all  the 
way  to  her  own. 

"  But  this  is  only  for  one  day.  And  there 
are  so  many  days,  and  so  many  people  that 
want  things.  I  must  save  every  bit  of  money 
I  can." 

She  was  late ;  but  she  was  so  happy  and 
hungry,  that  her  elders  looked  on  her  very  in- 
dulgently, it  being,  as  in  truth  she  was,  a 
pleasant  sight. 

That  evening  Judith  proposed  another  prac- 
tising of  the  proverb  she  and  Matilda  were  to 
act  together ;  and  this  time  she  dressed  up  for 
it.  A  robe  of  her  mother's,  which  trailed 
ridiculously  over  the  floor ;  jewels  of  value  in 
her  ears  and  on  her  hands  and  neck;  and 
finally  a  lace  scarf  of  Mrs.  Lloyd's,  which 
was  very  rich  and  extremely  costly.  Norton 
was  absent  on  some  business  of  his  own; 
David  was  the  only  critic  on  hand.  He 
objected. 

"  You  can  act  just  as  well  without  all  that 
trumpery,  Judith." 


380  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

"  Trumpery !  That's  what  it  is  to  you. 
My  shawl  is  worth  five  hundred  dollars  if  it  is 
worth  a  dollar.  It  is  worth  a  great  deal  more 
than  that,  I  believe ;  but  I  declare  I  get  con- 
fused among  the  prices  of  things.  That  is 
one  of  the  cares  of  riches,  that  try  me  most." 

"  You  can  act  just  as  well  without  all  that, 
Judy." 

"1  can't!" 

"  You  can  just  as  well,  if  you  would  only 
think  so." 

"  Very  likely ;  but  I  don't  think  so ;  that 
just  makes  it,  you  see.  I  want  to  feel  that  I 
am  rich ;  how  am  I  going  to  get  the  idea  in 
my  head,  boy  ?  —  I  declare,  Satinalia,  I  think 
this  satin  dress  is  getting  frayed  already." 

"  How  ought  I  to  be  dressed  ?  "  inquired 
Matilda. 

"  O  just  as  you  are.  You  haven't  to  make 
believe,  you  know;  you  have  got  only  to  act 
yourself.  Come,  begin. — I  declare,  Satinalia,  I 
think  this  satin  dress  is  getting  frayed  already." 

Matilda  hesitated,  then  put  by  the  displeas- 


THE   HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  381 

ure  which  rose  at  Judy's  rudeness,  and  entered 
into  the  play. 

"  And  how  shouldn't  it,  ma'am,  when  it's 
dragging  and  streaming  all  over  the  floor  for 
yards  behind  you.  Satin  won't  bear  every 
thing." 

"  No,  the  satin  one  gets  now-a-days  won't. 
I  could  buy  satin  once,  that  would  wear  out 
two  of  this ;  and  this  cost  five  dollars  a  yard. 
Dear  me !  I  shall  be  a  poor  woman  yet." 

"  If  you  were  to  cut  off  the  train,  ma'am, 
the  dress  wouldn't  drag  so." 

"  Wouldn't  it !  you  Irish  stupid.  O  I  hear 
something  breaking  downstairs!  Robert  has 
smashed  a  tray-ful,  I'll  be  bound.  I  heard 
the  breaking  of  glass.  Run,  Satinalia,  run 
down  as  hard  as  you  can  and  find  out  what 
it  is.  Run  before  he  gets  the  pieces  picked 
up ;  for  then  I  shall  never  know  what  has 
happened." 

"  You'd  miss  the  broken  things,"  said  Ma- 
tilda ;  not  exactly  as  Satinalia. 

"  You're  an  impudent  hussy,  to  answer  me 


382  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

so.  Run  and  see  what  it  is,  1  tell  you,  or  I 
shall  never  know." 

"  What  must  I  say  it  is  ? "  said  Matilda, 
out  of  character. 

*•  Haven't  you  wit  enough  for  that  ?  "  said 
Judith,  also  speaking  in  her  own  proper. 
"  Say  any  thing  you  have  a  mind ;  but  don't 
stand  poking  there.  La!  you  haven't  seen 
any  thing  in  all  your  life,  except  a  liqueur 
stand.  Say  any  thing!  and  be  quick." 

Matilda  ran  down  a  few  stairs,  and  paused, 
not  quite  certain  whether  she  would  go  back. 
She  was  angry.  But  she  wanted  to  be  friends 
with  Judy  and  her  brother;  and  the  thought 
of  her  motto  came  to  her  help.  "  Do  all  in 
the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus ; "  —  then  certainly 
with  courtesy  and  patience  and  kindness,  as 
his  servant  should.  She  prayed  for  a  kind 
spirit,  and  went  back  again. 

"  You've  been  five  ages,"  cried  the  rich 
woman.  "  Well,  what's  broke  ?  " 

"  Ma'am,  Robert  has  let  fall  a  tray  full  of 
claret  glasses,  and  the  salad  dish  with  a 
pointed  edge." 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  383 

"  That  salad  dish  !  "  exclaimed  Judy.  "  It 
was  the  richest  in  New  York.  The  Queen 
of  England  had  one  like  it ;  and  nobody  else 
but  me  in  this  country.  I  told  Robert  to 
keep  it  carefully  done  up  in  cotton;  and 
never  to  wash  it.  That  is  what  it  is  to  have 
things." 

"  Don't  it  have  to  be  washed  ?  "  inquired 
Matilda. 

"  I  wish  I  could  get  into  your  head,"  said 
Judy  impatiently  and  speaking  quite  as  Judy, 
"  that  you  are  a  maid  servant  and  have  no 
business  to  ask  questions.  I  suppose  you 
never  knew  anything  about  maid-servants 
till  you  came  here ;  but  you  have  been  here 
long  enough  to  learn  that,  if  you  were  not 
perfectly  bourgeoise ! " 

"  Hush,  Judy ;  you  forget  yourself,"  said 
David. 

"  She  don't  understand  !  "  said  the  polite 
young  lady. 

"  You  do  not  get  on  with  your  proverb 
at  this  rate,"  he  went 'on,  glancing  at  Ma- 


384  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

tilda,  whose  cheek  gave  token  of  some  under- 
standing. 

"  Stupid ! "  said  Judy,  returning  to  her 
charge  and  play,  — "  don't  you  understand 
that  when  that  dish  is  used  I  wash  it  myself? 
And  what  claret  glasses  were  they  ?  I'll  be 
bound  they  are  the  yellow  set  with  my 
crest?" 

"  Those  are  the  ones,"  Satinalia  assented. 

"  That  is  what  it  is  to  have  things !  My 
life  is  one  trouble.  Satinalia  ! "  — 

"  Ma'am." 

"  I  haven't  got  my  diamond  bracelet  on." 

"  No,  ma'am ;  I  do  not  see  it."     - 

"  Well,  go  and  see  it.  Find  it  and  bring 
it  to  me.  I  want  it  on  with  this  dress." 

Matilda  being  instructed  in  this  part  of 
her  duties,  reported  that  she  could  not  find 
the  bracelet.  The  jewel  box  was  ordered  in, 
and  examined,  with  a  great  many  lamenta- 
tions and  conjectures  as  to  the  missing 
article.  Finally  the  supposed  owner  declared 
she  must  write  immediately  to  her  jewellers 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  385 

to  know  if  they  had  the  bracelet,  either  for 
repair  or  safe  keeping.  Satinalia  was  des- 
patched for  a  writing  desk;  and  then  for  a 
candle. 

"  There  are  no  tapers  in  this,  concern," 
Judy  remarked ;  "  and  the  note  must  be 
sealed.  Somebody  might  find  out  that  the 
bracelet  is  missing,  and  so  it  would  be 
missing  for  ever,  from  me.  Satinalia,  what 
do  you  stand  there  for?  Do  you  not  hear 
me  say  I  want  a  candle  ?  " 

"  Can't  you  make  believe  as  well  ?  "  asked 
Matilda,  not  Satinalia. 

"  You  are  too  tiresome  !  "  exclaimed  Judy. 
"  What  do  you  know  about  it,  at  all,  I  should 
like  to  know.  I  think,  when  I  give  you  the 
favour  of  playing  with  me,  that  is  enough. 
You  do  as  I  tell  you." 

Matilda  went  for  the  candle,  inwardly 
resolving  that  she  would  not  enjoy  the  privi- 
lege of  practising  with  Judy  another  time 
unless  Norton  were  by.  In  his  presence  she 
was  protected.  A  tear  or  two  came  from 

25 


3 86  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

the  little  girl's  eyes,  before  she  got  back  to 
the  lobby  with  the  lighted  candle.  Judy 
perhaps  wanted  to  make  a  tableau  of  herself 
at  the  letter  sealing ;  for  she  took  an  elegant 
attitude,  that  threw  her  satin  drapery  impos- 
ingly about  her  and  displayed  her  bare  arm 
somewhat  theatrically,  gleaming  with  jewels 
and  softened  by  the  delicate  lace  of  the  scarf. 
But  thereby  came  trouble.  In  a  careless 
sweep  of  her  arm,  sealing-wax  in  hand,  no 
doubt  intended  to  be  very  graceful,  the  lace 
came  in  contact  with  the  flame  of  the  candle ; 
and  a  hole  was  burnt  in  the  precious  fabric 
before  anybody  could  do  any  thing  to  prevent 
it.  Then  there  was  dismay.  Judy  shrieked 
and  flung  herself  down  with  her  head  on  her 
arms.  David  and  Matilda  looked  at  the  lace 
damage,  and  looked  at  each  other.  Even  he 
looked  grave. 

"  It's  a  pretty  bad  business,"  he  concluded. 

"  O  what  shall  I  do !  O  what  shall  I  do !  " 
Judith  cried.  "  O  what  will  grandmamma 
say !  O  I  wish  Christmas  never  came !  "  — 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  387 

"  What  sort  of  lace  is  this  ? "  Matilda 
asked,  still  examining  the  scarf  which  David 
had  let  fall  from  his  fingers.  He  thought  it 
an  odd  question  and  did  not  answer.  Judy 
was  crying  and  did  not  hear. 

"  The  best  thing  is  to  own  up  now,  Judy," 
said  her  brother.  "  It  is  no  use  to  cry." 

"  Yes,  it  is ! "  said  Judy  vehemently. 
"  That's  all  a  boy  knows  about  it ;  but  they 
don't  know  everything." 

"  I  don't  see  the  use  of  it,  at  all  events," 
said  David.  "If  tears  were  spiders,  they 
might  mend  it." 

"  Spiders  mend  it!  "  repeated  Judy.  "Da- 
vid, you  are  enough  to  provoke  a  saint." 

"  But  you  are  not  a  saint,"  said  her 
brother.  "  It  need  not  provoke  you.  What 
are  you  going  to  do  ?  " 

"  Judy,"  said  Matilda  suddenly,  "  look  here. 
Does  your  grandmother  often  wear  this  ?  " 

"  She'll  be  sure  to  want  it  now,"  said  Judy, 
"  if  she  never  did  before." 

"It  doesn't  help  the  matter  either,"  said 


388  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

David.  "  Putting  off  discovery  is  no  com- 
fort. I  always  think  it  is  best  to  be  out  with 
a  thing  and  have  done  with  it." 

"No,"  said  Matilda.  "Yes;  — that  isn't 
what  I  mean ;  but  I  mean,  will  Mrs.  Lloyd 
want  to  wear  this  now  for  a  few  days  — 
four  or  five  ?  " 

"  She  won't  wear  it  before  our  party,"  said 
Judy.  "  There's  nothing  going  on  or  com- 
ing off  before  that.  O  I  wish  our  party  was 
in  Egypt." 

"  Then  don't,"  said  Matilda.  "  Look  here, 
—  listen.  I  think  perhaps,  —  I  don't  promise, 
you  know,  for  I  am  not  sure, —  but  I  think 
perhaps  I  can  mend  this." 

"  You  can't,  my  girl,"  said  David,  "  unless 
you  are  a  witch." 

"You  might  as  well  mend  the  house!" 
said  Judy  impatiently.  "  It  isn't  like  darning 
stockings,  I  can  tell  you." 

"  I  know  how  to  darn  stockings,"  said 
Matilda;  "and  I  do  not  mean  to  mend  this 
that  way.  But  I  can  mend  some  lace  ;  and 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  389 

I  think  —  perhaps  —  I  can  this.  If  you  will 
let  me,  I'll  try." 

"  How  come  you  to  think  you  can  ? " 
David  asked.  "  I  should  say  it  was  impos- 
sible, to  anything  but  a  fairy." 

"  I  have  been  taught,"  said  Matilda.  "  I 
did  not  like  to  learn,  but  I  am  very  glad  now 
I  did.  Do  you  like  to  have  me  try  ?  " 

"It  is  very  kind  of  you,"  said  David  ;  "  but 
I  can't  think  you  can  manage  it." 

"  Of  course  she  can't !  "  said  Judy  con- 
temptuously. 

"If  I  only  had  the  right  thread,"  said 
Matilda,  re-examining  the  material  she  had 
to  deal  with. 

"  What  must  it  be  ?  "     David  inquired. 

"  Look,"  said  Matilda.  "  Very,  very,  very 
fine,  to  match  this," 

"  Where  can  it  be  had  ?  You  are  sure  you 
will  not  make  matters  worse  by  doing  any 
thing  with  it  ?  Though  I  don't  see  how  they 
could  be  worse,  that's  a  fact.  I'll  get  the 
thread." 


390  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

So  it  was  arranged  between  them,  without 
reference  to  Judy.  Matilda  carried  the  scarf 
to  her  room ;  and  Judy  ungraciously  and 
ungracefully  let  her  go  without  a  word. 

"  You  are  not  very  civil,  Judy,"  said  her 
brother. 

"  Civil,  to  that  creature !  " 

"  Civil  to  anybody,"  said  David  ;  "  and  she 
is  a  very  well-behaved  creature,  as  you  call 
her." 

"  She  was  well-behaved  at  Candello's  the 
other  day,  wasn't  she  ?  " 

"Perhaps  she  was,  after  her  fashion. 
Come,  Judy,  you  have  tried  her  to-night,  and 
she  has  borne  it  as  you  wouldn't  have  borne 
it ;  or  I  either." 

"She  knew  better  than  not  to  bear  it," 
said  Judy  insolently. 

"  I  wish  you  had  known  better  than  to  give 
it  her  to  bear.  She  was  not  obliged  to  bear  it, 
either.  Aunt  Zara  would  not  take  it  very 
well,  if  she  was  to  hear  it." 

Judy  only  pouted,  and  then  went  on  with 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 


391 


a  little  more  crying  for  the  matter  of  the 
shawl.  David  gave  up  his  part  of  the 
business. 

Except  looking  for  the  thread.  That  he 
did  faithfully  ;  but  he  did  not  know  where  to 
go  to  find  the  article  and  of  course  did  not 
find  it.  What  he  brought  to  Matilda  might 
as  well  have  been  a  cable,  for  all  the  use  she 
could  make  of  it  in  the  premises.  There  was 
no  more  to  do  but  to  tell  Mrs.  Laval  and  get 
her  help;  and  this  was  the  course  finally 
agreed  upon  between  Matilda  and  David ; 
Judy  was  not  consulted. 

Mrs.  Laval  heard  the  story  very  calmly ; 
and  immediately  promised  to  get  the  thread, 
which  she  did.  Matilda  could  not  also  obtain 
from  her  an  absolute  promise  of  secrecy. 
Mrs.  Laval  reserved  that;  only  assuring 
Matilda  that  she  would  do  no  harm,  and  that 
she  would  say  nothing  at  least  until  it  should 
be  seen  whether  or  no  Matilda  had  succeeded 
in  the  repair  of  the  scarf. 

And  now  for  days  thereafter  Matilda  was 


392  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

most  of  the  time  shut  up  in  her  room,  with 
the  door  locked.  It  was  necessary  to  keep 
out  Judy ;  the  work  called  for  Matilda's 
whole  and  best  attention.  It  was  not  an 
easy  or  a  small  undertaking.  If  anybody 
could  have  looked  in  through  the  closed  door 
those  days,  he  would  have  seen  a  little  figure 
seated  on  a  low  foot-cushion,  with  a  magnifi- 
cent lace  drapery  lying  over  her  lap  and  fall- 
ing to  the  floor.  On  a  chair  at  her  side  were 
her  thread  and  needles  and  scissors;  and 
very  delicately  and  slowly  Matilda's  fingers 
were  busy  trying  to  weave  again  the  lost 
meshes  of  the  exquisite  lace.  They  worked 
and  worked,  hour  after  hour,  before  she  could 
be  certain  whether  she  was  going  to  succeed ; 
and  the  blood  flushed  into  Matilda's  cheeks 
with  the  excitement  and  the  intense  applica- 
tion. At  last,  Saturday  afternoon,  enough 
progress  was  made  to  let  the  little  girl  see 
that,  as  she  said  to  herself,  "  it  would  do ; " 
and  she  put  the  scarf  away  that  afternoon 
feeling  that  she  was  all  ready  for  Sunday  to 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  393 

come  now,  and  could  enjoy  it  without  a 
drawback  of  any  sort. 

And  so  she  did  —  even  Dr.  Broadman  and 
his  parti-coloured  church.  Matilda's  whole 
heart  had  turned  back  to  its  old  course ;  that 
course  which  looks  to  Jesus  all  the  way. 
Sunlight  lies  all  along  that  way,  as  surely  as 
one's  face  is  turned  to  the  sun ;  so  Matilda 
felt  very  happy.  She  hoped,  too,  that  she 
was  gaining  in  the  goodwill  of  her  adopted 
cousins ;  David  certainly  had  spoken  and 
looked  civilly  and  pleasantly  again ;  and 
Matilda's  heart  to-day  was  without  a  cloud. 

Norton  declined  to  go  with  her  to  Sunday 
school,  however,  and  she  went  alone.  No 
stranger  now,  she  took  her  place  in  the  class 
as  one  at  home ;  and  all  the  business  and  talk 
of  the  hour  was  delightful  to  her.  Sarah  was 
there  of  course ;  after  the  school  services  were 
ended  Matilda  seized  her  opportunity. 

"  Whereabouts  do  you  live,  Sarah  ?  " 

Matilda  had  been  turning  over  various 
vague  thoughts  in  her  mind,  compounded 


394  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

from  experiences  of  Lilac  lane  and  the  snowy 
corner  of  Fourteenth  street;  her  question 
was  not  without  a  purpose.  But  Sarah 
answered  generally,  that  it  was  not  very  far 
off. 

"Where  is  it?"  said  Matilda.  "I  should 
like,  if  I  can,  and  maybe  I  can,  I  should  like 
to  come  and  see  you." 

"  It  is  a  poor  place/'  said  Sarah.  "  I  don't 
think  you  would  like  to  come  into  it." 

"  But  you  live  there,"  said  the  other  child. 

"  Yes  "  —  said  Sarah  uneasily ;  "  I  live 
there  when  I  ain't  somewheres  else ;  and  I'm 
that  mostly." 

"  Where  is  that  '  somewhere  else '  ?  I'll 
come  to  see  you  there,  if  I  can." 

"  You  have  seen  me  there,"  said  the  street- 
sweeper.  "  'Most  days  I'm  there." 

"  I  have  been  past  that  corner  a  good  many 
times,  Sarah,  when  I  couldn't  see  you  any- 
where." 

"  'Cos  the  streets  was  clean.  There  warn't 
no  use  for  my  broom  then.  Nobody'd  ha* 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  395 

wanted  it,  or  me.  I'd  ha'  been  took  up, 
maybe." 

"  What  do  you  do  ihen,  Sarah  ?  " 

"  Some  days  I  does  nothing ;  some  days 
I  gets  something  to  sell,  and  then  I  does 
that." 

"  But  I  would  like  to  know  where  you 
live." 

"  You  wouldn't  like  it,  I  guess,  if  you  saw 
it.  Best  not,"  said  Sarah.  "  They  wouldn't 
let  you  come  to  such  a  place,  and  they  hadn't 
ought  to.  I'd  like  to  see  you  at  my  cross- 
ing," she  added  with  a  smile  as  she  moved 
off.  Matilda,  quite  lost  in  wonderment,  stood 
looking  after  her  as  she  went  slowly  down  the 
aisle.  Her  clothes  were  scarcely  whole,  yet  put 
on  with  an  evident  attempt  at  tidiness ;  her 
bonnet  was  not  a  bonnet,  but  the  unshapely 
and  discoloured  remains  of  what  had  once  had 
the  distinction.  Her  dress  was  scarcely  clean ; 
yet  as  evidently  there  was  an  effort  to  be  as 
neat  as  circumstances  permitted.  What  sort 
of  a  home  could  it  be,  where  so  nice  a  girl  as 


396  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

Matilda  believed  this  one  was,  could  reach  no 
more  actual  and  outward  nicety  in  her  ap- 
pearance ? 

"  You  have  made  Sarah  Staples'  acquaint- 
ance, I  see ; "  Mr.  Wharncliffe's  voice  broke 
her  meditations. 

"  I  saw  her  at  her  crossing  one  day.  Isn't 
she  a  good  girl?" 

"  She  is  a  good  girl,  I  think.  What  do  you 
think?" 

«  O  I  think  so,"  said  Matilda ;  "  I  thought 
so  before  ;  but  —  Mr.  Wharncliffe  —  I  am 
afraid  she  is  very  poor." 

"  I  am  not  afraid  so ;  I  know  it." 

"  She  will  not  tell  me  where  she  lives,"  said 
Matilda  rather  wistfully. 

"  Do  you  want  to  know  ?  " 

"  Yes,  I  wanted  to  know ;  but  I  think  she 
did  not  want  I  should." 

"  Did  you  think  of  going  to  see  her,  that 
you  tried  to  find  out  ?  " 

"  I  would  have  liked  to  go,  if  I  could,"  said 
Matilda,  looking  perplexed.  "  But  she  seemed 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  397 

to  think  I  wouldn't  like  it,  or  that  I  ought  not, 
or  something." 

"  She  is  right,"  said  Mr.  Wharncliffe.  "You 
would  not  take  any  pleasure  in  seeing  Sarah's 
home;  and  you  cannot  go  there  alone.  But 
with  me  you  may  go.  I  will  take  you  there, 
if  you  choose." 

"  Now  ? " 

«  Yes." 

"  Thank  you,  sir.     I  would  like  it." 

Truth  to  tell,  Matilda  would  have  liked  a 
walk  in  any  direction  and  for  any  purpose, 
in  company  with  that  quiet,  pleasant,  kind, 
strong  face.  She  had  taken  a  great  fancy 
and  given  a  great  trust  already  to  her  new 
teacher.  That  walk  did  not  lessen  either. 
Hand  in  hand  they  went  along,  through  poor 
streets  and  in  a  neighbourhood  that  grew 
more  wretched  as  they  went  further;  yet 
though  Matilda  was  in  a  measure  conscious 
of  this,  she  seemed  all  the  while  to  be  walk- 
ing in  a  sort  of  spotless  companionship ; 
which  perhaps  she  was.  The  purity  made 


398  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

more  impression  upon  her  than  the  impurity. 
And,  withal  that  the  part  of  the  city  they 
were  coming  to  was  very  miserable,  and 
more  wicked  than  miserable,  Matilda  saw  it 
through  an  atmosphere  of  very  pure  and  sweet 
talk. 

She  drew  a  little  closer  to  her  guide,  how- 
ever, as  one  after  another  sight  and  sound  of 
misery  struck  her  senses.  A  knot  of  drunken 
men  wrestling;  single  specimens,  very  ugly 
to  see ;  voices  loud  and  brutal  coming  out  of 
drinking  shops;  haggard-looking, dirty  women, 
in  dismal  rags  or  finery  worse  yet ;  crying 
children ;  scolding  mothers ;  a  population  of 
boys  and  girls  of  all  ages,  who  evidently  knew 
no  Sabbath,  and  to  judge  by  appearances  had 
no  home;  and  streets  and  houses  and  door- 
ways so  squalid,  so  encumbered  with  garbage 
and  filth,  so  morally  distant  from  peace  and 
purity,  that  Matilda  felt  as  if  she  were  walking 
with  an  angel  through  regions  where  angels 
never  stay.  Perhaps  Mr.  Wharncliffe  noticed 
the  tightening  clasp  of  her  fingers  upon 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  399 

his.  He  paused  at  length;  it  was  before  a 
large,  lofty  brick  building  at  the  corner  of  a 
block.  No  better  in  its  moral  indications 
than  other  houses  around;. this  was  merely 
one  of  mammoth  proportions.  At  the  corner 
a  flight  of  stone  steps  went  down  to  a  cellar 
floor.  Standing  just  at  the  top  of  these  steps, 
Matilda  could  look  down  and  partly  look  in  ; 
though  there  seemed  little  light  below  but 
what  came  from  this  same  entrance  way. 
The  stone  steps  were  swept.  But  at  the 
bottom  there  was  nothing  but  a  mud  floor; 
doubtless  dry  in  some  weathers,  but  at  this 
time  of  encumbering  snow  it  was  stamped 
into  mud.  Also  down  there,  in  the  doubtful 
light,  Matilda  discerned  an  overturned  broken 
chair  and  a  brown  jug;  and  even  caught  a 
glimpse  of  the  corner  of  a  small  cooking 
stove.  People  lived  there !  or  at  least  cooked 
and  eat,  or  perhaps  sold  liquor.  Matilda 
looked  up,  partly  in  wonder,  partly  in  dismay, 
to  Mr.  Wharncliffe's  face. 

"  This  is  the  place,"  he  said ;  and  his  face 


400  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

was  grave  enough  then.     "  Would  you  like 
to  go  in  ?  " 

"  This  ?  "  said  Matilda  bewildered.  "  This 
isn't  the  place?  She  don't  live  here?  Does 
anybody  live  here  ?  " 

"  Come  down  and  let  us  see.  You  need 
not  be  afraid,"  he  said.  "  There  is  no  dan- 
ger." 

Very  unwillingly  Matilda  let  the  hand  that 
held  her  draw  her  on  to  descend  the  steps. 
If  this  was  Sarah's  home,  she  did  not  won- 
der at  the  girl's  hesitation  about  making  it 
known.  Sarah  was  quite  right ;  it  was  no 
place  fit  for  Matilda  to  come  to.  How  could 
she  help  letting  Sarah  see  by  her  face  how 
dreadful  she  thought  it  ? 

Meanwhile  she  was  going  down  the  stone 
steps.  They  landed  her  in  a  cellar  room ;  it 
was  nothing  but  a  cellar  |  and  without  the 
clean  dry  paving  of  brick  or  stone  which  we 
have  in  the  cellars  of  our  houses.  The  little 
old  cooking  stove  was  nearly  all  the  furniture  ; 
two  or  three  chairs  or  stools  were  around, 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  401 

but  not  one  of  them  whole;  and  in  two 
corners  were  heaps,  of  what?  Matilda 
could  not  make  out  anything  but  rags, 
except  a  token  of  straw  in  one  place. 
There  was  a  forlorn  table  besides  with  a 
few  specimens  of  broken  crockery  upon  it. 
A  woman  was  there ;  very  poor  though  not 
bad-looking ;  two  bits  of  ragged  boys;  and 
lastly  Sarah  herself,  decent  and  grave,  as 
she  had  just  come  from  Sunday  school, 
sitting  on  a  box  with  her  lesson  book  in  her 
hand.  She  got  up  quickly  and  came  forward 
with  a  surprised  face,  in  which  there  shone 
also  that  wintry  gleam  of  pleasure  that  Ma- 
tilda had  seen  in  it  before.  The  pleasure 
was  for  the  sight  of  Mr.  Wharncliffe ;  per- 
haps Sarah  was  shy  of  her  other  visiter. 
However,  Mr.  Wharncliffe  took  the  conversa- 
tion upon  himself,  and  left  it  to  nobody  to 
feel  or  shew  awkwardness ;  which  both  Ma- 
tilda and  Sarah  were  ready  to  do.  He  had 
none ;  Matilda  thought  he  never  could  have 
any,  anywhere ;  so  gracious,  so  free,  hia 
26 


402  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

words  and  manner  were  in  this  wretched 
place ;  so  pleasant  and  kind,  without  a  trace 
of  consciousness  that  he  had  ever  been  in  a 
better  room  than  this.  And  yet  his  boot 
heels  made  prints  in  the  damp  earth  floor. 
The  poor  slatternly  woman  roused  up  a 
little  to  meet  his  words  of  cheer  and  look 
of  sympathy ;  and  Sarah  came  and  stood  by 
his  shoulder.  It  was  an  angel's  visit.  Ma- 
tilda saw  it,  as  well  as  she  knew  that  she 
had  been  walking  with  one  ;  he  brought  some 
warmth  and  light  even  into  that  drear  region ; 
some  brightness  even  into  those  faces  ;  though 
he  staid  but  a  few  minutes.  Giving  then  a 
hearty  hand  grasp,  not  to  his  scholar  only  but 
to  the  poor  woman  her  mother,  whom  Ma- 
tilda thought  it  must  be  very  disagreeable  to 
touch,  he  with  his  new  scholar  came  away. 

Matilda's  desire  to  talk  or  wish  to  hear 
talking  had  suddenly  ended.  She  threaded 
the  streets  in  a  maze ;  and  Mr.  Wharncliffe 
was  silent;  till  block  after  block  was  passed 
and  gradually  a  region  of  comparative  order 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  403 

and  beauty  was  opening  to  them.  At  last  he 
looked  down  at  his  little  silent  companion. 

"  This  is  a  pleasanter  part  of  the  city, 
isn't  it?" 

«O  Mr.  Wharncliffe ! "  Matilda  burst 
forth,  "  why  do  they  live  there  ?  " 

"  Because  they  cannot  live  anywhere 
else." 

«  They  are  so  poor  as  that  ?  " 

"  So  poor  as  that.  And  a  great  many 
other  people  are  so  poor  as  that." 

"  How  much  would  it  cost  ?  " 

"  For  them  to  move  ?  Well,  it  would  cost 
the  rent  of  a  better  room  ;  and  they  haven't 
got  it.  The  mother  cannot  earn  much  ;  and 
Sarah  is  the  chief  stay  of  the  family." 

"  Have  they  nothing  to  live  upon,  but  the 
pennies  she  gets  for  sweeping  the  crossing  ?  " 

"  Not  much  else.  The  mother  makes 
slops,  I  believe ;  but  that  brings  in  only  a  few 
more  coppers  a  week." 

"  How  much  would  a  better  room  cost,  Mr. 
Wharncliffe  ?  " 


404  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

"  A  dollar  a  week,  maybe ;  more  or  less, 
as  the  case  might  be." 

There  was  silence  again  ;  until  Mr.  Wharn- 
cliffe  and  Matilda  had  come  to  Blessington 
avenue  and  were  walking  down  its  clean  and 
spacious  sideway. 

"  Mr.  Wharncliffe,"  said  Matilda  suddenly, 
"  why  are  some  people  so  rich  and  other 
people  so  poor  ?  " 

"  There  are  a  great  many  reasons." 

"  What  are  some  of  them  ?  can't  I  under- 
stand?" 

"  You  can  understand  this;  that  people 
who  are  industrious,  and  careful,  and  who 
have  a  talent  for  business,  get  on  in  the 
world  better  than  those  who  are  idle  or  waste- 
ful or  self-indulgent  or  wanting  in  cleverness." 

"  Yes  ;  I  can  understand  that." 

"  The  first  class  of  people  make  money, 
and  their  children,  who  maybe  are  neither 
careful  nor  clever,  inherit  it ;  along  with  their 
business  friends,  and  their  advantages  and 
opportunities ;  while  the  children  of  the  idle 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 


4°5 


and  vicious  inherit  not  merely  the  poverty 
but  to  some  extent  the  other  disadvantages 
of  their  parents.  So  one  set  are  naturally 
growing  richer  and  richer  and  the  other 
naturally  go  on  from  poor  to  poorer." 

"  Yes,  I  understand  that"  said  Matilda, 
with  a  perplexed  look.  "  But  some  of  these 
poor  people  are  not  bad  rior  idle  ?  " 

"  Perhaps  their  parents  have  been.  Or 
without  business  ability  ;  and  the  one  thing 
often  leads  to  another." 

"  But "  —  said  Matilda,  and  stopped. 

«  What  is  it  ?  " 

"  It  puzzles  me,  sir.  I  was  going  to  say, 
God  could  make  it  all  better ;  and  why  don't 
he?" 

"  He  will  do  everything  for  us,  Matilda," 
said  her  friend  gravely,  "  except  those  things 
he  has  given  us  to  do.  He  will  help  us  to 
do  those ;  but  he  will  not  prevent  the  con- 
sequences of  our  idleness  or  disobedience. 
Those  we  must  suffer ;  and  others  suffer  with 
us,  and  because  of  us." 


406  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

"But  then"  —  said  Matilda  looking  up, 
—  "  the  rich  ought  to  take  care  of  the  poor." 

"  That  is  what  the  Lord  meant  we  should 
do.  We  ought  to  find  them  work,  and  see 
that  they  get  proper  pay  for  it ;  and  not  let 
them  die  of  hunger  or  disease  in  the  mean 
while." 

"  Well,  why  don't  people  do  so  ? "  said 
Matilda. 

"  Some  try.  But  in  general,  people  have 
not  corne  yet  to  love  their  neighbours  as 
themselves." 

"  Thank  you,  Mr.  Wharncliffe,"  Matilda 
said,  as  he  stopped  at  the  foot  of  Mrs. 
Lloyd's  steps. 

He  smiled,  and  inquired,  "  For  what  ?  " 

"  For  taking  me  there." 

"  Why  ?  "  said  he,  growing  grave. 

But  a  little  to  his  surprise  the  little  girl 
hurried  up  the  steps  without  making  him  any 
answer. 

In  the  house,  she  hurried  in  like  manner 
up  the  first  flight  of  stairs  and  up  the  second 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  407 

flight.  Then,  reaching  her  own  floor,  where 
nobody  was  apt  to  be  at  that  time  of  Sunday 
afternoons,  the  child  stopped  and  stood  still. 

She  did  not  even  wait  to  open  her  own 
door ;  but  clasping  the  rail  of  the  balusters 
she  bent  down  her  little  head  there  and  burst 
into  a  passion  of  weeping.  Was  there  such 
utter  misery  in  the  world,  and  near  her,  and 
she  could  not  relieve  it?  Was  it  possible 
that  another  child,  like  herself,  could  be  so 
unlike  herself  in  all  the  comforts  and  helps 
and  hopes  of  life,  and  no  remedy  ?  Matilda 
could  not  accept  the  truth  which  her  eyes 
had  seen.  She  recalled  Sarah's  gentle,  grave 
face,  and  sober  looks,  as  she  had  seen  her  on 
her  crossing,  along  with  the  gleam  of  a  smile 
that  had  come  over  them  two  or  three  times ; 
and  her  heart  almost  broke.  She  stood  still, 
sobbing,  thinking  herself  quite  safe  and 
alone ;  so  that  she  started  fearfully  when  she 
suddenly  heard  a  voice  close  by  her.  Tt  was 
David  Bartholomew,  come  out  of  his  room. 

«  What  in  the  world's  to   pay  ?  "    said  he. 


408  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

"  What  is  the  matter  ?  You  needn't  start  as 
if  I  were  a  grisly  bear !  But  what  is  the 
matter,  Tilly  ?  " 

Matilda  was  less  afraid  of  him  lately;  and 
she  would  have  answered,  but  there  was  too 
much  to  say.  The  burden  of  her  heart  could 
not  be  put  into  words  at  first.  She  only 
cried  aloud,  — 

"  Oh  David !  —  Oh  David !  " 

"What  then?"  said  David.  "What  has 
Judy  been  doing  ?  " 

"  Judy !     O  nothing.     I  don't  mind  Judy." 

"  Very  wise  of  you,  I'm  sure,  and  I  am 
very  glad  to  hear  it.  What  has  troubled 
you  ?  something  bad,  I  should  judge." 

"  Something  so  bad,  you  could  never  think 
it  was  true,"  said  Matilda,  making  vain 
efforts  to  dry  off  the  tears  which  kept  welling 
freshly  forth. 

"  Have  you  lost  something  ?  " 

"  I  ?  O  no ;  I  haven't  got  any  thing  to 
lose.  Nothing  particular,  I  mean.  But  I 
have  seen  such  a  place  "  — 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  409 

"  A  place  ?  "  said  David,  very  much  puz- 
zled. «  What  about  the  place  ?  " 

"Oh,  David,  such  a  place!  And  people 
live  there  !  "  —  Matilda  could  not  get  on. 

David  was  curious.  He  stood  and  waited, 
while  Matilda  sobbed  and  tried  to  stop  and 
talk  to  him.  For,  seeing  that  he  wanted  to 
hear,  it  was  a  sort  of  satisfaction  to  tell  to 
some  one  what  filled  her  heart.  And  at  last, 
being  patient,  he  managed  to  get  a  tolerably 
clear  report  of  the  case.  He  did  not  run  off 
at  once  then.  He  stood  still  looking  at 
Matilda. 

"  It's  disgraceful,"  he  said.  "  It  didn't  use 
to  be  so  among  my  people." 

"  And,  oh  David,  what  can  we  do  ?  What 
can  I  do  ?  I  don't  feel  as  if  I  could  bear  to 
think  that  Sarah  must  sleep  in  that  place 
to-night.  Why  the  floor  was  just  earth, 
damp  and  wet.  And  not  a  bedstead — just 
think !  What  can  I  do,  David  ?  " 

"  I  don't  see  that  you  can  do  much.  You 
cannot  build  houses  to  lodge  all  the  poor  of 


410  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

the  city.  That  would  take  a  good  deal  of 
money ;  more  than  you  have  got,  little  one." 

"  But —  I  can't  reach  them  all,  but  I  can  do 
something  for  this  one,"  said  Matilda.  "  I 
must  do  something." 

"  Even  that  would  take  a  good  deal  of 
money,"  said  David. 

"  I  must  do  something,"  Matilda  repeated. 
And  she  went  to  her  own  room  to  ponder 
how,  while  she  was  getting  ready  for  dinner. 
Could  she  save  anything  from  her  Christmas 
money  ? 


CHAPTER     XII. 

"V/TATILDA'S  thoughts  about  Christmas 
took  now  another  character.  Instead 
of  the  delightful  confusion  of  pretty  things 
for  rich  hands,  among  which  she  had  only  to 
choose,  her  meditations  dwelt  now  upon  the 
homelier  supplies  of  the  wants  of  her  poor 
little  neighbour.  What  could  be  had  instead 
of  that  damp  cellar  with  its  mud  floor?  how 
might  some  beginnings  of  comfort  be  brought 
to  cluster  round  the  little  street-sweeper,  who 
except  in  Sunday  school  had  hardly  known 
what  comfort  was?  It  lay  upon  Matilda's 
heart;  she  dreamed  about  it  at  night  and 
thought  about  it  nearly  all  day,  while  she 
was  mending  Mrs.  Lloyd's  lace  shawl. 

The  shawl  was  getting  mended ;  that  was 
a  satisfactory  certainty ;  but   it  took  a  great 


412  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

deal  of  time.  Slowly  the  delicate  fabric 
seemed  to  grow,  and  the  place  that  the  can- 
dle flame  had  entered  seemed  to  be  less  and 
less ;  very  slowly,  for  the  lace  was  exceedingly 
fine  and  the  tracery  of  embroidered  or  wrought 
flowers  was  exceeding  rich.  Matilda  was 
shut  up  in  her  room  the  most  part  of  the 
time  that  week ;  it  was  the  Christmas  week, 
and  the  shawl  must  be  finished  before  the 
party  of  Friday  night.  Mrs.  Laval  some- 
times came  in  to  look  at  the  little  worker 
and  kiss  her.  And  one  afternoon  Norton 
came  pounding  at  her  door. 

"  Is  it  you,  Norton  ?  " 

"  Of  course.  Come  out,  Pink ;  we  want  you." 

Matilda   put  down  her  work  and    opened 
the  door. 

"  Come  out ;  we  are  going  to  rehearse,  and 
we  want  you,  Pink." 

"  I   should    like  to   come,   Norton,   but   I 
can't." 

"What's    the    mischief?      Why    do    you 
whisper  ?  " 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  413 

"  I  am  not  about  any  mischief;  but  I  am 
busy,  Norton.  I  cannot  come,  indeed." 

Norton  pushed  himself  a  little  way  into  the 
room. 

"  Busy  about  what  ?  "  said  he.  «  That's  all 
bosh.  What  are  you  busy  about?  What  is 
that?  Hullo!" 

For  Norton's  eye,  roving  round  the  room, 
caught  the  rich  lace  drapery  which  lay  upon 
one  of  Matilda's  chairs.  He  went  closer  to 
look  at  it,  and  then  turned  an  amazed  eye 
upon  her. 

"  I  know  what  this  is,  Pink.  Whatever 
have  you  got  it  here  for  ?  " 

"  Hush,  Norton ;    I  am  mending  it." 

"  Mending  it !    have  you  broken  it  ?  " 

"  No,  not  I ;  but  Judy  would  wear  it  one 
night  when  we  were  practising ;  and  it  got  in 
the  flame  of  the  candle  and  was  burnt ;  and 
Judy  was  frightened,  and  I  thought  maybe  T 
could  mend  it;  and  see,  Norton,  —  you  can 
hardly  tell  the  place,  or  you  won't,  when  I 
have  finished." 


414  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

Norton  fairly  drew  a  low  whistle  and  sat 
down  to  consider  the  matter. 

"  And  this  is  what  keeps  you  away  so. 
Judy  will  be  obliged  to  you,  I  hope.  She 
doesn't  deserve  it.  And  grandmamma  don't 
know !  Well,  Pink,  I  always  said  you  were 
a  brick." 

Matilda  smiled  and  took  up  her  mending. 

"  But  how  are  you  going  to  be  ready  for 
Christmas?" 

"  O  I  think  about  it,  Norton,  while  I  am 
working." 

"  Yes,  but  thinking  will  not  buy  your  things." 

"  That  won't  take  very  long.  I  do  not 
think  I  shall  get  a  great  deal  now.  O  Nor- 
ton, I  have  found  something  else  that  wants 
money." 

"  Money !  I  dare  say,"  said  Norton.  "  Every- 
thing wants  money.  What  is  it,  Pink  ?  It 
isn't  Lilac  lane,  anyhow." 

"  No,  Norton ;  but  worse." 

"  Go  on,"  said  Norton.  "  You  needn't  stop 
and  look  so.  /  can  stand  it.  What  is  it  ?  " 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  415 

Matilda  dropped  her  lace  for  the  minute, 
and  told  her  walk  and  visit  of  Sunday  after- 
noon. As  she  told  it,  the  tears  gathered; 
and  at  the  end  she  dropped  her  face  upon 
her  knees  and  sobbed.  Norton  did  not  know 
what  to  do. 

"  There's  lots  of  such  places,"  he  said  at 
last  "  You  needn't  fret  so.  This  isn't  the 
only  one." 

"  O  Norton,  that  makes  it  worse.  One  is 
enough  ;  and  I  cannot  help  that ;  and  \must" 

"  Must  what  ?  "  said  Norton .  "  Help  them  ? 
You  cannot,  Pink.  It  is  no  use  for  you  to 
try  to  lift  all  New  York  on  your  shoulders. 
It's  no  use  to  think  about  it." 

"  I  am  not  going  to  try  to  lift  all  New 
York,"  said  the  little  girl,  making  an  effort  to 
dry  her  eyes. 

"  And  it  is  no  good  crying  about  it,  you 
know." 

"  No,  no  good,"  said  Matilda.  "  But  I  don't 
know,  Norton  ;  perhaps  it  is.  If  other  people 
cried  about  it,  the  thing  would  get  mended." 


416  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

"  Not  so  easy  as  lace  work,"  said  Norton, 
looking  at  the  cobweb  tracery  tissue  before 
him. 

"But  it  must  be  mended,  Norton?"  said 
Matilda  inquiringly,  and  almost  imploringly. 

"  Well,  Pink,  anybody  that  tries  it  will  get 
mired.  That's  all  I  have  to  say.  There's  no 
end  to  New  York  mud." 

"  But  we  can  lift  people  out  of  it." 

"  J  can't,"  said  Norton.  "  Nor  you  neither. 
No,  you  can't.  There's  lots  of  societies  and 
institutions  and  committees  and  boards,  and 
all  that  sort  of  thing;  and  no  end  of  collec- 
tions and  contributions ;  and  the  people  that 
get  the  collections  must  attend  to  the  people 
they  are  collected  for.  We  can't,  you  know. 
Well,  I  must  go  and  rehearse." 

He  went  off;  but  immediately  after  another 
tap  at  the  door  announced  David.  He  stepped 
inside  the  door ;  a  great  mark  of  condescen- 
sion. He  had  never  come  to  Matilda's  room 
until  now. 

"  So  busy  you  can't  spare   time  for  prov- 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  417 

erbs  ?  "  he  said.  "  But  what  is  the  matter  ?  " 
For  Norton's  want  of  sympathy  had  disap- 
pointed Matilda,  and  she  had  tears  in  her 
eyes  and  on  her  cheeks  again.  What  should 
she  do  now?  she  thought.  She  had  half 
counted  on  Norton's  helping  her.  David 
was  quite  earnest  to  know  the  cause  of 
trouble ;  and  Matilda  at  last  confessed  she 
was  thinking  about  the  people  that  lived  in 
that  cellar  room. 

"  Where  is  the  place  ?  "  David  inquired. 

"  I  can't  tell ;  and  I  am  sure  you  couldn't 
find  it.  We  turned  and  turned,  going  and 
coming.  It's  an  ugly  way  too.  You  couldn't 
find  it,  David." 

"  But  your  crying  will  not  help  them,  Tilly." 

"  No,"  said  Matilda,  trying  to  dash  the  tears 
away.  "  If  I  could  help  them,  I  wouldn't  cry. 
But  I  must.  O  think  of  living  so,  David! 
No  beds,  that  we  would  call  beds ;  and  those 
on  the  dirty  ground ;  and  living  without  any- 
thing. O  I  didn't  know  people  lived  so! 
What  can  I  do?" 

2? 


41 8  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

"  I'll  tell  you,"  said  David.  "  We'll  try  to 
find  another  place  for  them  to  live,  and  see 
how  much  that  would  cost ;  and  then  we  can 
lay  our  plans." 

Matilda  was  breathless  for  a  minute.  "  O 
thank  you.  How  can  we  find  out  about 
that  ?  I  might  ask  Mr.  Wharncliffe !  mightn't 
I?  " 

"  I  should  think  you  might." 

"Then  I'll  do  that,  next  time  I  see  him. 
But  I  haven't  got  much  money,  David." 

"Well,  we'll  see  about  that.  Find  out 
how  much  a  decent  lodging  would  cost ;  and 
then  we  can  tell,  you  know.  I'll  make  Judy 
help ;  and  Norton  will  shell  out  something. 
He  always  keeps  holes  in  his  purse." 

"  I  don't  see  how  he  can  have  much  in  it, 
then,"  said  Matilda,  trying  to  laugh.  "  But 
you  are  very  good,  David." 

"  Well,  you  are  good,  I  am  sure,"  said  he 
glancing  at  the  lace.  "  Is  that  thing  going  to 
keep  you  prisoner  much  longer  ?  " 

"  No ;  it  is  getting  done  ;  it  will  be  done  in 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  419 

time,"  the  little  girl  answered  gratefully  and 
happily ;  and  with  a  smile  David  left  her. 

The  work  went  on  nicely  after  that  day. 
Matilda's  visions  grew  glorious,  not  of 
Christmas  toys,  but  of  changed  human  life, 
in  one  place,  at  least.  She  went  over  and 
over  all  sorts  of  plans  and  additions  to  plans ; 
and  half  unconsciously  her  lace  work  grew 
like  her  visions,  fine  and  smooth,  under  her 
hands.  However,  Christmas  gifts  were  not 
to  be  quite  despised  or  neglected,  either; 
Matilda  took  time  once  or  twice  to  go  out 
and  make  purchases.  They  were  as  modest 
and  carefully  made  purchases  as  could  be. 
Mrs.  Laval  she  had  already  provided  for,  and 
Norton.  For  Judy  Matilda  bought  a  Scotch 
book  mark  or  leaf  cutter,  which  cost  two 
shillings.  For  David,  a  nice  photograph 
view  of  Jerusalem.  A  basket  of  fruit  she 
sent  by  express  to  Poughkeepsie  to  Maria ; 
and  Letitia's  dress  she  matched  with  a  silk 
cravat  for  Anne.  When  these  things  were 
off  her  mind,  and  out  of  her  purse,  Matilda 


420 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 


counted  carefully  the  money  that  was  left, 
and  put  it  away  in  her  trunk  with  tolerable 
satisfaction.  It  was,  she  thought,  a  good 
little  fund  yet 

Meanwhile  the  lace-mending  was  almost 
done.  Mrs.  Laval  came  into  Matilda's  room 
on  the  Thursday  morning  before  Christmas, 
when  Matilda  was  putting  her  last  touches  to 
the  work;  and  sat  for  some  time  watching 
her.  Then  suddenly  broke  out  with  a  new 
thought,  as  it  seemed. 

"  You  have  no  dress  to  wear  to-morrow 
night!" 

Matilda  looked  up  in  great  astonishment. 

"  Mamma !  —  there  is  my  red  silk  —  and 
my  green  —  and  my  blue  crape." 

"  No  white  dress.  I  must  have  you  in 
white." 

"  I  have  a  white  frock.     It  is  old." 

"  That  wouldn't  do,  you  dear  child,"  said 
Mrs.  Laval.  "I'll  have  a  muslin  for  you. 
Judy  will  be  in  white,  and  so  must  you." 

Matilda   bent   over   her  work    again   with 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN.  42! 

pulses  throbbing  and  cheeks  tingling  with 
pleasure.  But  in  another  minute  she  looked 
up,  and  her  face  had  changed. 

"  How  much  would  that  new  white  dress 
cost,  mamma  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know,"  Mrs.  Laval  answered  care- 
lessly. "  Sash  and  all  —  twenty  or  twenty- 
five  dollars  perhaps." 

Matilda  went  at  her  work  again,  but  her 
fingers  trembled.  A  minute  more,  and  she 
had  thrown  it  down  and  was  kneeling  at  Mrs. 
Laval's  knee. 

"  Mamma,  I  want  to  ask  you  something." 

"  You  may,"  said  Mrs.  Laval  smiling. 

"  It  is  a  great  something." 

"  I  dare  say  you  think  so.     Well,  ask  it." 

"  Mamma,  I  wish  you  would  let  me  go 
without  that  white  dress,  and  do  something 
else  with  the  money !  " 

"Something  else?  What?"  said  Mrs. 
Laval,  with  inward  amusement. 

In  answer  to  which,  Matilda  poured  out 
the  story  of  Sarah  and  her  wants,  and  her 


422  THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 

own  wishes  respecting  them.  Mrs.  Laval 
heard  her  till  she  had  done,  and  then  put 
both  arms  around  her  and  kissed  her. 

• "  You  dear  child  ! "  she  said.     "  You  would 
like  all  the  world  to  be  saints;  wouldn't  you  ?" 

"  And  so  would  you,  mamma  ?  " 

"  I  am  not  one  myself,"  said  Mrs.  Laval. 

"  But  mamma,  you  would  like  all  the  world 
to  be  comfortable  ?  " 

"  Yes,  but  I  cannot  reach  all  the  world.  I 
can  reach  you." 

"  This  would  make  me  —  so  very  com- 
fortable !  mamma." 

"  But  I  want  you  to  be  as  well  dressed  as 
Judy.  And  I  cannot  do  everything ." 

"  Mamma,"  said  Matilda,  "  I  don't  care  at 
all,  —  in  comparison  to  this." 

"  I  care,"  said  Mrs.  Laval.  "  Is  that 
dreadful  piece  of  work  nearly  finished  ?  " 

"  Almost,  now,  mamma."  And  with  a 
sigh  Matilda  sat  down  to  it.  She  had  ven- 
tured as  far  as  she  thought  best.  In  a  few 
minutes  more  the  long  job  was  finished. 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 


423 


The  shawl  was  exactly  as  good  as  new,  Mrs. 
Laval  declared.  She  made  Matilda  tell  her 
all  about  her  learning  the  art  of  lace-mend- 
ing; and  then  broke  faith;  for  she  went 
straight  to  her  mother  with  the  mended 
shawl  and  gave  her  the  whole  story  over 
again.  Matilda  did  not  suspect  this ;  she 
thought  Mrs.  Laval  had  only  taken  the  scarf 
to  put  it  safely  away.  Nobody  else  suspected 
it,  for  Mrs.  Lloyd  gave  no  token  of  having 
become  wiser  than  she  was  before. 

Every  thing  now  centred  towards  Christ- 
mas and  the  party  of  Christmas  eve.  Even 
Sarah's  affairs  had  to  go  into  the  background 
for  the  time,  though  Matilda  did  not  forget 
them.  The  Christmas  gifts  were  all  ready 
and  safe.  An  air  of  mystery  and  expecta- 
tion was  about  all  the  young  people ;  and  a 
good  bustle  of  preparation  occupied  the 
thoughts  and  the  tongues  at  least  of  the  old. 
An  immense  Christmas  tree  was  brought  in 
and  planted  in  a  huge  green  tub  in  the  draw- 
ing-room. Mrs.  Lloyd  and  Mrs.  Laval  and 


424 


THE  HOUSE  IN  TOWN. 


Mrs.  Bartholomew  were  out  a  great  deal, 
driving  about  in  the  carriage ;  and  bundles 
and  boxes  and  packages  of  all  shapes  came 
to  the  house.  Matilda  and  Norton  went  out 
Friday  morning  on  some  remaining  errand 
of  Christmas  work ;  and  they  found  that  all 
the  world  was  more  or  less  in  the  condition 
of  Mrs.  Lloyd's  house.  Everybody  out, 
everybody  busy,  everybody  happy,  more  or 
less ;  a  great  quantity  of  parcels  in  brown 
paper  travelling  about;  a  universal  stir  of 
pleasant  intention.  Cars  and  busses  went 
very  full,  at  all  times  of  day,  and  of  all  sorts 
of  people;  and  a  certain  genial  Christmas  light 
was  upon  the  dingy  city  streets.  Only  when 
Matilda  passed  Sarah  Staples  at  her  crossing, 
or  some  other  child  such  as  she,  there  came  a 
sort  of  tightness  at  her  heart ;  and  she  felt  as 
if  something  was  wrong  even  about  the 
holidays. 


Cambridge:  Press  of  John  Wilson  and  Sou. 


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